Lotus secures funding for battery research, four new EVs

Lotus hasn’t even sold its first electric vehicle yet – the Evija electric hypercar just went into production in 2021 and will hit dealerships later this year – but they’re already set to launch more EVs after committing the brand to an all-electric future.

The Hethel-based brand has just received a GBP 100 million investment (around PHP 6.8 billion) from battery cell maker Britishvolt to work on an innovative new propulsion package to power the next generation of Lotus electric vehicles.

“Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver. Last year we committed Lotus to a pure-electric future, and in the first month of this year we announce another significant step on that journey. In the coming months, we will be unveiling the Type 132, an all-new and all-electric Lotus SUV and we’ve confirmed three more EVs are on the way,” said Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars.

Future Lotus vehicles, all of which are going to be electric, will be based on the Evija. The brand’s first electric hypercar makes 1,972 horsepower and 1,700 Nm of torque. It sets the record for being the lightest in its class at just 1,678 kilograms and can go from 0-100 km/h in just under three seconds. 

If this is any indication of the kind of Lotus EVs we’re going to get in the future, well, the future is very bright then. We also won't have to wait long as the brand's second EV, the Type 132 will be arriving later this year.