Ahead of schedule, Lotus’ new Evora 414E Range
Extender Hybrid Electric Vehicle (REEV) has
started its dynamic and durability testing at
the Lotus HQ in Hethel, Norfolk.
- 1000 Nm (738 lbft) of Torque
- 414 PS (408 hp)
- 0-60 mph / 97 km/h in around 4 seconds
- Top speed 130 mph (209 km/h)
- Target emissions of just 55 g CO2 / km (NEDC)
Brimming with innovation, technology,
performance and power, the Lotus Evora 414E is a
series hybrid technology demonstrator which
shows some of the headline technologies that
Lotus Engineering, one of the world’ s leading
automotive engineering consultancies, has within
its portfolio.
The Evora 414E is powered by two electric motor
packs driving the rear wheels through its Xtrac
transmission with a battery pack that can be
charged by the Lotus range extender engine or
directly from mains electricity. The Lotus 3
cylinder range extender engine has been design
protected to run on either gasoline or renewable
bio alcohol fuels (methanol and ethanol). It
drives an EVO electric generator which produces
electrical energy to either charge the battery
pack or power the EVO traction motors directly.
In normal driving, the Evora 414E will run
purely on electricity stored in the battery pack
for up to 30 miles (48 km). With the Lotus range
extender and the electric traction motors
powering the vehicle through an Xtrac 1092
transmission, the Evora 414E is targeted to
produce just 55 g of CO2 / km emissions on the
Northern European Driving Cycle (NEDC).
Should the driver require more performance,
under hard acceleration, for example, the
electricity will come from both the battery
storage and the small range extender engine.
It’s all Torque
Now that the car is undergoing testing, what
does 1000 Nm in an Evora feel like?
Simon Corbett, Principal Vehicle Dynamics Test
and Development Engineer at Lotus Engineering,
has been doing the majority of the development
testing, over the last few weeks, “The Evora S
has 400 Nm of torque which in such a lightweight
car is already a healthy figure. But the Evora
414E has two and a half times that amount! The
acceleration sensation is almost indescribable,
the surge of torque is like an ocean wave!” |
