Lotus unwraps next-gen LEVA all-electric platform

Lotus has partly revealed its all-new lightweight LEVA platform that will underpin the still-secret pure-electric replacement for the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora.

Releasing pictures of its all-new electrified rear subframe that's set to be bolted onto its upcoming E-Sports platform, the British car-maker claims the structure will be 37 per cent lighter than the similar rear subframe used in the latest Lotus Emira.

The company also said future vehicles based on the E-Sports platform, including a battery-powered replacement for the Alpine A110, will be powered by energy-dense batteries that will range in size from 66.4kWh to 99.6kWh.

Unusually, the Lotus architecture allows the batteries to be stacked high in a 'chest' arrangement in the middle of the chassis, like the Lotus Evija hypercar, to mimic a mid-engine combustion engine weight distribution.

Alternatively, the batteries can be placed conventionally under the floor to provide space for a four-seater.

The wheelbase, meanwhile, is also capable of being stretched from 2470mm to more than 2650mm.

It's thought the sports car with the shortest 2470mm wheelbase (100mm shorter than the Emira) that gets 350kW will be the spiritual replacement for the long-lived Lotus Elise, suggesting the new model could be a roadster or come with a targa-style roof arrangement.

The larger four-seater sports car, meanwhile, is likely to be a replacement for the outgoing Evora, coming with a 2+2 seating layout plus the option of single or dual motors.

The latter is expected to offer 650kW for hypercar levels of performance.

Whether you opt for a single- or dual-motor powertrain, Lotus looks set to shun all-wheel drive for a strictly rear-drive set-up – unless even more powerful triple- or quad-powered versions are in the pipeline.

Created out of die-cast high-strength aluminium, the new rear subframe has been developed in partnership with Brunel University of London.

Despite its light weight, there's been no engineering shortcuts and the new family of Lotus sports cars will come with double-wishbone rear suspension.

Lotus' engineering boss Richard Moore said: "Project LEVA is as revolutionary now as the Elise architecture was in 1996. In true Lotus spirit, significant weight savings have been achieved throughout, with a focus on ultimate performance, efficiency and safety being engineered into the structure from the outset."