The Lotus Evija has arrived and promises to be the most powerful production car in the world.
We were expecting the Evija to be impressive, but we weren't sure if it was going to be this impressive. At almost 2,000 horsepower, the Evija is aiming to be not just the world’s most advanced electric hypercar, but also the world’s most powerful.
Lotus didn’t provide a specific power figure, but they did say the Evija would have over 2,000 PS from its four electric motors (that’s 1972.64 hp and 1,253 lb-ft). With one electric motor at each wheel, the Evija will have all-wheel-drive and torque vectoring to ensure that each wheel has the ideal amount of power depending on the road surface and how the car is oriented.
Zero to 62 mph will be under 3 seconds. Zero to 186 mph will be under 9 seconds. From 62 mph to 124 mph will be under 3 seconds. Top speed will surpass 200 mph and somehow do it without melting the battery.
That battery is also very impressive. Mounted in the middle, it will provide range up to 250 miles. Fast charging at a 350 kW charger will take just 18 minutes, and 80% charge will come in just 12 minutes. There are currently no 800 kW fast chargers in the world, but when the technology does eventually arrive, it will charge the Evija's battery in just 9 minutes. That’s almost as fast as it takes to refill a tank of gas.
Thanks to a carbon fiber monocoque chassis and an ultralight battery, the Evija weighs just 3,700 lbs.
There are no side mirrors, so the Evija has extending rearview cameras just behind the front fenders and a roof-mounted rear-facing camera that displays what's behind the car on small screens around the cockpit. The steering wheel is a flat F1-style design, and all important info is displayed on the digital screen behind it.
And perhaps best of all, there’s no infotainment or navigation. Lotus expects every owner to bring them own smartphone with its own media and navigation system, which will pair to the car via Bluetooth.
Lotus will make 130 Evijas starting at $2.1 million each with today’s exchange rates. A production slot reservation will set you back $310,000, with production expected to begin in 2020.