Lotus to roll out super-fast EV charge network to rival Tesla

Lotus will roll out its own ultra-fast charging network to rival Tesla’s Superchargers in China, Europe and the Middle East, with the army of advanced chargers capable of recharging its electric sports cars – and EVs from other brands – at up to 480kW.

At that rate, which is class-leading, Lotus claims as much as 142km of range can be added to the 2024 Lotus Eletre R SUV in less than five minutes, while a 10 to 80 per cent top-up will take less than 20 minutes.

In direct comparison, a 350kW Tesla V3 Supercharger would add 120km of range over the same period.

Lotus says it has already introduced its liquid-cooled charger technology in China and has plans to begin rolling out its Supercharger alternative from the second quarter of 2024 in Europe, the Middle East and other markets.

There is no word yet on a dedicated network for Australia.

Instead of one charging solution, the Geely-owned British sports car-maker says it has launched three.

The headline 480kW unit is known as the ‘Liquid-Cooled Power Cabinet’ and will be primarily installed at highway stations.

There’s also a ‘Liquid-Cooled All-in-One DS Charger’ that can manage 450kW, while a more basic ‘Liquid-Cooled Charging Unit’ has a maximum current output of 600-Amp and can charge up to four vehicles at once.

According to Lotus, its liquid-cooled chargers will enable EV owners to recharge their vehicles much faster than existing tech.

The system works by circulating coolant through the charging connector, which lowers the temperature and therefore allows higher charging speeds.

Instead of a mass rollout of the tech itself, initially the Lotus chargers will be introduced via the brand’s dealerships, fleet providers and charge point operators.

Better yet, the tech will not be exclusive to Lotus vehicles, with any EV capable of using them, although only models with the most advanced 800-volt electrical architecture will be able to access the very fastest charging speeds.

The introduction of the new chargers is part of Lotus’ wider Vision80 strategy to become an all-electric brand by 2028 – the year the brand celebrates eight decades of racing and car manufacturing.

Lotus Technology vice-president Alan Wang said: “As more governments are increasing investment into electrification in their journey to net-zero, the demand for a reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure has never been higher than before.

“Lotus has developed best-in-class fast-charging solutions to deliver a quick and reliable charging experience to meet customer needs,” he said.

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