Crossover Lotus Eletre: less than 3 s to “hundreds”, 600 km per charge and Chinese assembly
The British company Lotus Cars has introduced the first serial crossover in its history called Eletre. It is equipped with a twin-engine electric propulsion system with more than 600 hp and “in a circle” lidars that will ensure safe and reliable autonomous driving. Market entry is expected in 2023.
Lotus Cars dreamed of a crossover since 2006, when the APX concept was introduced, but it never went into production, and then the SUV concept was revised several times, until, finally, the Chinese holding Geely (it has since owned a controlling stake in Lotus). 2017).)) allocated enough money to develop a real car, which premiered on March 29.
Recall that Geely wants to make Lotus a company of the same scale as Porsche, that is, quite large and profitable (last year Porsche sold more than 300 thousand cars and received 4 billion euros in net profit), and the main bet on electric vehicles, and the latest gasoline model in the history of the British brand was the mid-engined sports car Emira. The range of electric vehicles will be replenished by 2026 with four new models, complementing the flagship electric hypercar Evija. The first of the electric quartet announced in August last year was the flagship crossover Eletre (factory index Type 132).
Eletre is a large car of the Lamborghini Urus class: overall length – 5103 mm, width – 2135 mm, height – 1630 mm, wheelbase – 3019 mm. At the heart of the Eletre is a Lotus Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) modular electric skateboard deck with a dead battery on the floor. It is still difficult to judge how original the EPA platform is, since there are no images of the “remains” and the technical description leaves much to be desired. We do not rule out that EPA is a variation of the SPA2 platform, which will form the basis of the future flagship crossovers of Volvo and Polestar (the debut is expected this year). Volvo and Polestar, if anyone has forgotten, are also part of the Geely empire.
The power structure of the Eletre body is made of both steel and aluminum, the painted outer panels are aluminum, the black ones are carbon fiber. The design
Retractable lidars are installed above the windshield and front wheel arches, and another stationary lidar is installed in the stern. Lidars clearly indicate that the Eletre will receive at least SAE Level 3 autopilot, but while Lotus does not say when it will be available, only adaptive cruise control is being announced at this time, and additional features can be activated online upon request. available. layout The role of exterior mirrors is performed by cameras, images from them are displayed on screens on door cards. Retractable door handles are equipped with contour lighting.
The main characteristics of the Eletre remain approximate: a twin engine (one motor for each axle) produces a total of more than 600 hp, acceleration to 100 km/h takes less than 3 seconds, and a top speed of about 260 km/h. An 800-volt battery with a capacity of more than 100 kWh provides about 600 km of WLTP cycle on a single charge. The maximum charging power is 350 kW, which allows you to replenish a range of 400 km in just 20 minutes. Eletre has an adaptive air suspension and a fully steerable chassis with rear axle drive. The brakes are carbon-ceramic, and the 10-piston calipers are clearly overkill for a powerful electric car. Wheels – 23 inches.
5- or 4-seater saloon, the images show a 4-seater version with two separate rear seats, between which there is a tall organizer on the pedestal with cup holders and a media tablet. In turn, there are three physical screens on the front panel plus a projection screen for the driver. The Central Touch 15.1 tablet can be placed on the front panel when not needed, leaving only small screens visible. A 2160W high-end KEF Reference audio system provides 23 speakers.
Eletre will be built in China, at a new plant in Wuhan with a capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year, the Type 133 platform 4-door coupe (expected to debut in 2023) and the Type 134 mid-size crossover (2025) will be registered here. The Lotus Type 135 (2026) electric sports car, powered by E-Sports' own electric platform, will be built in the UK at the historic Lotus Hethel factory. The E-Sports platform will also form the basis for the next generation Alpine A110 French sports car.
Pricing and trim levels for the Lotus Eletre have yet to be officially announced, with Autocar saying the base version will cost less than £100,000 and the first production version of the Eletre will ship to customers in 2023.