Lotus EVIJA: A Brit EV for THE DRIVERS

Supercar Corner - with James Male

James (& Sam) discover the first all-electric British hypercar - the most powerful road car… EVER!

Evija means “the first in existence” and THIS is Lotus’s first electric car.

The name comes from Eve who was the first human in the Bible, alongside Adam. Although, the Vauxhall Adam and the Lotus Evija might be one of the most unlikely couples in the car world!

Whilst the Vauxhall Adam might make a great first car, the Lotus Evija definitely wouldn’t! Firstly it costs £2 million and secondly, it is the most powerful road car……EVER!.

The source of this monstrous power is in the first two letters of the car’s name - EV (electric vehicle). Unlike normal car engines, batteries do not emit toxic gasses but can still produce huge amounts of power. One may say the Evija is silent but violent!

The batteries produce 2000 BHP and the top speed is limited (!) to just 218 mph.

But, as Spiderman once said, “with great power comes great responsibility”, and this responsibility was too great for even a professional racing driver at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. If you missed it, you can find the clip of the track-only version of the Evija spectacularly losing grip off the start line on YouTube.

Thankfully, it was only the car that needed a nose job as the driver walked away without needing a trip to his cosmetic surgeon!

Similarities to supermodels continue beyond plastic surgery as the Evija is incredibly skinny. Despite the heavy batteries, Lotus have stuck to their lightweight ethos as it is lighter than all of it’s EV hypercar rivals. Huge gaps in the slender bodywork not only reduce weight but also perfect the aerodynamics. Lotus describe the design as porous, meaning air flows through the body, not just around it.

The Evija represents many firsts for Lotus. Designed, engineered and hand-built at Lotus’ famous home in Hethel, Norfolk, it is their first electric car, first hypercar and it has the first taillights that a Roadster reader could climb through!

Although, it retains characteristics that have made Lotus great during their 76 year history and is certainly not the first Lotus that we have fallen for!