Lotus reveals pioneering 'blueprint' for next generation of electric sports cars
• World premiere for innovative new lightweight EV structure
•Will be integrated into Lotus electric sports car architecture
Technology on display at Cenex LCV event on 22/23 September
Just weeks after Lotus confirmed it will be launching a new family of EV performance cars, it has given a world premiere to the innovative new lightweight chassis technology that will underpin the electric sports car in the range.
The new structure has been developed through Project LEVA (Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture), announced last October by Lotus. Project LEVA is a research programme that's accelerating the development of all-new lightweight structures for next-generation battery electric vehicles.
Today Lotus can reveal it's this structure developed through Project LEVA which will be integrated into the company's new architecture for electric sports cars. Thanks to the innovation of Lotus and the Project LEVA partners, the rear structure is 37% lighter than it is on the Lotus Emira V6. It means Lotus now has the 'blueprint' for the next generation of electric sports cars, for future Lotus products and for the Lotus Engineering consultancy to commercialise.
The Project LEVA lightweight chassis technology is being shown at the Low Carbon Vehicle event staged by Cenex, the UK's Low Carbon and Fuel Cells Centre of Excellence, at Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire, UK, on 22/23 September.
A new animation from Lotus reveals how the technology will form part of the new electric sports car chassis, illustrating the versatile nature of this all-new Lotus-developed vehicle architecture. It is fully adaptable to provide a platform for a range of EVs with variable layouts, wheelbase lengths, battery sizes and configurations.
As the animation shows, all three layouts feature a common lightweight die-cast rear sub-frame with multiple interchangeable components. This is the Project LEVA innovation, and it means a single vehicle architecture can accommodate two different types of battery configurations:
Photo credit: Lotus
posted on conceptcarz.com
•Developed through Project LEVA research programme, rear structure is 37% lighter than on Lotus Emira V6
VEHICLE LAYOUT | WHEELBASE |
BATTERY SIZE / CONFIGURATION | MAXIMUM BATTERY POWER | EDU LAYOUT / MAX POWER |
Two-seater | Minimum of 2,470mm | 8-module / chest | 66.4kWh | Single / 350kW |
Two-seater | More than 2,650mm | 12-module / chest | 99.6kWh | Twin / 650kW |
2+2 | More than 2,650mm | 8-module / slab | 66.4kWh | Single / 350 kW or Twin / 650kW |
- • 'Chest' layout, where the modules are stacked vertically behind the two seats. A chest layout is a 'mid-mounted power pack', ideal for sports car / hypercar vehicle types where a low overall ride height and low centre of gravity are required, and as seen on the Lotus Evija pure electric hypercar.
• 'Slab' layout, where the modules are integrated horizontally under the cabin. This is most suitable for vehicles where a higher ride height and a taller overall profile is required. It is often referred to as a 'skateboard power pack' layout.
- • January 2021: Lotus announced it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Alpine, the performance car division of Groupe Renault, to study a number of areas of cooperation, including the joint development of an EV sports car.
• April 2021: at the Driving Tomorrow global strategy conference, Lotus confirmed the E-Eports vehicle architecture was one of four Lotus-developed chassis that would underpin future models.
• August 2021: Lotus confirmed it would be launching a new electric sports car in 2026 – Type 135 - which is intended to be manufactured in the UK.
• Today: Lotus gives a world premiere to the innovative new chassis technology that will underpin that electric sports car.
posted on conceptcarz.com
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