So says Simon Corbett, Principal Vehicle Dynamics Test and Development Engineer at Lotus Engineering. Indescribable as it may be, here are some specs: 738 pound-feet of torque (1,000 newton meters), 0-60 in four seconds and a target of 55 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer.
Making all that possible are two electric motors (one for each rear wheel), a 17 kilowatt-hour lithium polymer battery pack and an alcohol-fueled three-cylinder engine that kicks in when called upon (for instance, after 30 miles of electric-only driving) to recharge the onboard battery. Total range with a topped-up fuel tank and battery is estimated at 300 miles.
We first saw the Lotus Evora 414E at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and Lotus has brought its electrified concept back out to play at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Read more about it in the official press release below.
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!”
See under the skin of the Evora 414E at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
As part of the REEVolution consortium, funded by the government’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board, Lotus will show a cutaway version of the Evora 414E, with the addition of regenerative braking, HALOsonic and realistic 7 speed paddle shift technologies at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, giving an unusual insight into this pioneering vehicle.
About Lotus
Group Lotus plc, is based in Norfolk, UK, and has three operating divisions: Lotus Cars, Lotus Engineering and Lotus Racing.
Lotus Cars builds world class, high performance sports cars including the award-winning Evora, the iconic Elise and the stunning Exige. Lotus New Era, the future product line-up, was unveiled in Paris on 30th September 2010 featuring the new Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and Eterne.
Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy. Global facilities include those in the US, Malaysia, China and offices in Germany and Japan. Lotus is a global high-tech company, committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.
Lotus Racing (formerly Lotus Motorsport) operates the motorsports activities of Lotus and includes the strategy to return the Lotus name to a great number of series including endurance racing with GT2, GT4 and LMP2, single seater racing with GP2, GP3 and IndyCar. Lotus also competes in Formula 1 with the Lotus F1 Team, racing in the iconic Black and Gold livery.
About the REEVolution consortium
Evolution of REEV Technologies Building a UK Supply Base is a collaborative R&D project funded by the Technology Strategy Board that is creating new high performance Range Extended Electric Vehicles (REEV) and Plug-in Hybrids Electric Vehicles (PHEV). Three new demonstrator vehicles will showcase innovative new technologies. The cars combine and build on the skills of all of the businesses involved. The driving force behind this is to build a UK supply chain for new ultra low carbon vehicle technologies and position suppliers so that they can exploit the global market. The REEVolution consortium, led by Jaguar Land Rover, consists of: Axeon Technologies Ltd, EVO Electric Ltd and Xtrac Limited; and three vehicle manufacturers: Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus and Nissan Motor Company Ltd. for INFINITI brand.
