In 2021, with the arrival of Emira, Lotus announced that it would say goodbye to the internal combustion engine and officially announced that it would enter a new era of electrification. Lotus, which was once famous around the world, has entered a new era with the fastest pace, claiming that there are many brands that want to transform electrification, but the only one who has achieved such "resoluteness" may be Lotus.
After the electric shock, the wind continues
The ELETRE is Lotus's second electric vehicle after the supercar Evija and the first SUV for Lotus. When you see ELETRE, you may still be nostalgic for the speed of Elise and Exige's veins. But ELETRE, which represents the "new life", has already led Lotus into a new era, with a pioneering attitude of electrification.
Today's era no longer allows Lotus to use one car and one platform as in the past, but Lotus's "study" of models has not changed. ELETRE is both a pioneer and a legacy for Lotus: ELETRE is Lotus's first pure electric Hyper SUV, carrying the brand's 74 years of technical accumulation in the track and sports car field, while taking into account the practical advantages of SUVs.
The ELETRE is equipped with the industry's leading 800V electrical architecture, which is mainly composed of aluminum and high-strength steel, and uses a large number of carbon fiber and aluminum alloy kits, further inheriting Lotus's achievements in lightweight, while at the same time taking full advantage of excellent structural rigidity, perfectly combining the concept of lightweight and safety.
In terms of performance, the ELETRE is equipped with two high-power and high-torque motors in front and rear, and matches two-speed transmissions, with a maximum output of nearly 1000hp, which can achieve zero-hundred acceleration within 2.95 seconds.
In terms of handling, inheriting Lotus's consistent driving style, the body is as low as possible, so the mechanical advantage of a low center of gravity and concentration in the center is obvious. After all, a better driving experience requires the best balance with the comfort of the interior space.
As for ELETRE's chassis hardware, the suspension form of the front double wishbone rear multi-link is a matter of duty for this positioned car, and air suspension and CDC continuous variable damping shock absorbers are also presented.
Of course, there are also active anti-roll bars, rear steering, and one-box braking systems. Pursuing a sporty chassis configuration, as a pure electric SUV, ELETRE can be said to be on top of Lotus's first SUV model, pouring all the family's control pedigree, full of sincerity.
It is no exaggeration to say that ELETRE has made great efforts in handling, and ELETRE has been tuned by lotus's british heythel's power team, which has better realized lotus's inheritance and advancement in the field of control.
At the same time, ELETRE can adjust the range, Tour, Sport, Off-Road and Individual five driving modes, different modes of steering, shock absorber, powertrain and accelerator pedal response and other functions will be different.
With such a rich configuration, the ELETRE is like an SUV with a sports car pedigree, and its pure electric drive form brings outstanding performance, which in turn makes the ELETRE more comprehensive, not only has excellent power performance, but also brings the ultimate comfort, reflecting the characteristics of a real Lotus sports car.
The common and unusual of ELETRE
As an electric vehicle, the arrival of ELETRE indicates that the development of the Lotus brand has entered a new stage, the "gene" belonging to Lotus is still visible to the naked eye, the unique style of bold avant-garde, inheriting the gene of Lotus Circuit, and presenting a new appearance full of young style for new users, as well as the interior shape of novel technology.
Although the ELETRE is positioned as an SUV, the overall visual appearance is a sense of lightness, more like a sports car with a slightly higher chassis than a traditional SUV. Led by Ben Payne, a design engineer at the Coventry Innovation Centre in the UK, this "windy" approach is in line with the design inspiration of Evija and Emira.
In terms of appearance design, unlike the closed grille and streamlined body type used by ordinary electric vehicles in order to reduce wind resistance, ELETRE has installed a number of active air kits throughout the body, and in the data, it does not point out the achievements in the wind resistance coefficient, but shows the air downforce value of 90kg of its vehicle.
The reason is that, on the one hand, this is the aerodynamic kit that supercar models have always used, on the other hand, if the lightweight body of the ELETRE is "too light", it is necessary to increase the downforce through the aerodynamic package to achieve a balance between lightweight and driving.
"Aerodynamic application means smooth and smooth lines, and every line surface is not very abrupt", and the ELETRE's body is also full of Lotus's unique pore design, which cleverly directs the air flow around the body to improve aerodynamic efficiency, resulting in faster speed, better endurance and better overall vehicle performance.
Unlike the heritage of the exterior, as Lotus's first five-door mass production car, the first lifestyle pure electric vehicle, and the most "connected" Lotus model ever, ELETRE can better show Lotus's breakthrough in the interior.
ELETRE shows the "atypical" Lotus side, the elaborate design inspiration has led to a new interior design, while the interior design is still based on the driver's feeling as the original intention, the cockpit and the elevated center console can make the driver feel valued, and the materials and workmanship have reached a very high standard.
The new interior design shows Lotus's grasp of technology and texture, ELETRE adopts a different dual-screen design from the popular one, the main driver and co-pilot are set up in front of the thin strip of full LCD display to display driving and vehicle information, and in the center of the central control is equipped with a 15.1-inch, foldable OLED multimedia touch screen.
ELETRE also offers an AR HUD head-up display system, while the rear is also equipped with a foldable 9-inch central screen. In addition, the entire series is equipped with a British KEF brand sound system, with two configurations to choose from: 15 speakers + 1380 watts of power, 23 speakers + 2160 watts of power, thus providing customers with a better cabin experience.
ELETRE does not have the obsession of Lotus to achieve the ultimate in order to reduce weight in the past, but injects more technology and takes Lotus's interior design to an unprecedented new height.
But Lotus has not forgotten the tradition of lightweighting, where aluminum and carbon fiber can be used, ELETRE still unequivocally achieves lightweight. Performance-oriented, tech-inspired design provides light visuals, while the use of ultra-premium materials provides an exceptional user experience.
In terms of intelligent driving, ELETRE has 4 128-line lidar, 6 millimeter wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, 7 8MP cameras, 4 surround view cameras and 1 in-car camera.
Resolute change and the opportunity of the times
Some people say that Lotus's transformation to electrification and intelligence is the trend of the times, but the resolute attitude of transformation can be said to be rare among similar brands, which is both a huge opportunity and a difficult challenge.
Like Colin Chapman," who "took a different path" to find the technical secrets of aerodynamics and lightweighting, Lotus's greatest charm lies in its ability to firmly choose a path with a unique personality.
Today, China's new energy vehicle market has shifted from policy promotion to non-policy definition of the automobile market, at this time, new energy vehicles at this time have been recognized by more and more consumers under the "cultivation" of many "new forces" brands, and the future is about to usher in a critical point of explosive growth.
The ELETRE becomes Lotus's second electric model and its first fully intelligent model. Under the general trend of electrification and intelligence, Lotus is a sports car manufacturer with power and handling experience as the core. Historical Lotus, once with his paranoia about extreme manipulation, created one miracle after another.
In the face of the menacing trend of electrification, Lotus, as one of the world's three major supercar brands, is also facing transformation pressure that is far greater than that of conventional car companies. However, Lotus bid farewell to the fuel era without hesitation, presenting ELETRE, a stunning work in the history of the brand, in which Lotus's inheritance and exploration are perfectly integrated, officially opening the prelude to the brand's pure electric era.
Note: The image display and/or configuration information involved in this page is for reference only. For product details such as specific models and configuration information, please refer to the product information actually released by Lotus.