Official Thread [Official] Lotus Electric Hypercar now confirmed

[KiwiRob]

Meh, this is the time the standard car should have done! Instead we have this monstrosity - which is not even something they sell to anyone, just a singular time attack prototype - with slicks and 5x the aero of the road car, but it still can only go 11s faster than the AMG One. I looked at cornering speeds and the average cornering is slower than the 992 GT3RS. Having a time attack special corner slower than a normal road car - a pretty impressive achievement by Lotus!

If this does 6:24 with turbo aero, slicks and being massively lighter, then what does the road car do? 7:24? I mean, it's gonna struggle to go under 7 at the very least.

As they said and you could see if you watched the video the track was slightly damp and it was cold, run it on a dry track in 20 degree temperature and it would be faster. How close to road spec was the AMG One? I would be surprised if the X becomes a track only model on sale after the road versions are all built.

 

[martinbo]

As they said and you could see if you watched the video the track was slightly damp and it was cold, run it on a dry track in 20 degree temperature and it would be faster. How close to road spec was the AMG One? I would be surprised if the X becomes a track only model on sale after the road versions are all built.

A lot closer than this thing, for sure. Have you had a look at it - it's like a one-off Pikes Peak special. Even Ferrari's XX models aren't as rough as this thing.

 

[Tourbillon]

Wild Lotus Evija X revealed as 2011bhp Nurburgring record-hunter | Autocar

Track version of electric hypercar has already claimed the third-fastest 'Ring time – and has more to give

www.autocar.co.uk

"Lotus claims the Evija X's time is the fastest achieved by any car with a production chassis, though, and believes it has more to give, having set its unexpectedly quick lap time on a damp day in October.

"Watch this space," the British company said, hinting at a plan to return to Germany in better conditions to shave some vital seconds off.

Lotus is understood to have partnered with Canadian firm Multimatic – builder of the Ford GT and Mercedes-AMG One and a huge name in global motorsport – on the Evija X's engineering.

Underneath its outlandish, aerodynamically optimised bodywork, the Evija X remains technically identical to the road-going Evija, with 2011bhp from a quartet of wheel-mounted motors and power supplied by a 70kWh, 800V battery mounted behind the seats."

The Evija's carbonfibre tub is unmodified, too, but various modifications have been made in pursuit of record-breaking pace: the Evija X wears Pirelli track tyres, for example, backed by fearsome carbon brake discs, and its dampers are all-new."

 

[Sunny]

This is the list of differences I gathered from the video between the road car and the X -

1. Aero - X makes 3x more downforce than the road car
2. Tires - slicks and also wider
2. Brakes - Carbon carbon race brakes (vs carbon ceramics)
3. Suspension - different springs/dampers
4. They say same chassis, but also says removed the front/rear crash structures!
5. Different lighter clamshell body
6. Same battery, but removed bunch some charging components
7. Obviously gutted interior
8. Also they had to do some extreme cooling measures using dry ice before the lap to cool the battery.

I would not be surprised if the road car is more than 30+ secs off this X thing.


I also didn't see any dampness on the track, must be invisible water .

And the funny thing is VW ID.R set a lap time of 6:05 with just 680HP and it doesn't look any more extreme than the X thing.

 

[Revvd]

They strip the shit out of the car and there still is no mention of the weight, lol.
So many parts went to the bin: lights, hydraulics, charging bits, seat, interior, infotainment, AC, rear heave damper, glass > lexan, carbon-ceramic > carbon-carbon brakes... Maybe it's now somewhere close to NIO EP9 weight (1,735 kg)?
~2,050+ kg DF at 250 kph is pretty crazy. That's a lot more than what I believe is VW ID.R's DF number.
Also, a bit of a shame they didn't put the DRS status on the overlay. I know that during ID.R's lap, it got activated 23 times and stayed active for 24% of the lap. I'd love to know where the Evija X driver was brave enough to open the wing flap.

Now run the road legal production spec one, because this one is barely a car.

Never gonna happen

power supplied by a 70kWh, 800V battery mounted behind the seats

Isn't it supposed to have 90 kWh pack? Or is this merely mistakenly using net capacity stat?

"Watch this space," the British company said, hinting at a plan to return to Germany in better conditions to shave some vital seconds off.

I hate reading such excuses. Mercedes also had less than ideal lap in shitty conditions, but I don't think they tried to brag about how much faster they can go. How about you let me know when you improve it instead of false promises?

 

[bmwz4coupe]

Why did they wait 6 months before they published the time…?

 

[Revvd]

A little EV rivalry comparison. It should be roughly the same scale (using the height of the front wheel, assuming both run 18").
Looking at them side by side, I think I have to reconsider that VW runs less downforce . That wing is so damn wide!

BTW, there's a single piece of info on ID.R's cornering from that entire lap: 3.49 G lateral peak in Kallenhard at ~235 kph. That points out to 2,000 kg at 250 kph, so the same level as what they say Evija X generates. The Lotus telemetry overlay shows only 2.11 G at 185 kph in that same corner.

 

[Gianclaudio]

I think calling a once-off, experimental workshop special a "hypercar" is pulling the piss. Have a bit of respect for the makers who've actually delivered real hypercars.

It's a lame attempt from Lotus to look like being at the cutting edge and relevant.
Somehow, this records feel a bit like:

 

[KiwiRob]

A lot closer than this thing, for sure. Have you had a look at it - it's like a one-off Pikes Peak special. Even Ferrari's XX models aren't as rough as this thing.

Of course it's rough it's a prototype, if they make a customer version I expect it would be much better finished.

 

[KiwiRob]

It's a lame attempt from Lotus to look like being at the cutting edge and relevant.
Somehow, this records feel a bit like:

It's the third fastest lap around the ring.

 

[tristatez28lt1]

"Lotus claims the Evija X's time is the fastest achieved by any car with a production chassis, though, and believes it has more to give, having set its unexpectedly quick lap time on a damp day in October.

The Evija's carbonfibre tub is unmodified, too, but various modifications have been made in pursuit of record-breaking pace: the Evija X wears Pirelli track tyres, for example, backed by fearsome carbon brake discs, and its dampers are all-new."

Next record will be a 919 Evo with a Cayenne interior mirror and claim the SUV "production mirror" record. This is laughable and an attempt to gain sports car traction after they realized that this car in prodution form would turn a crappy Nring time.

 

[Tourbillon]

Next record will be a 919 Evo with a Cayenne interior mirror and claim the SUV "production mirror" record. This is laughable and an attempt to gain sports car traction after they realized that this car in prodution form would turn a crappy Nring time.

It'd need to be a Booster interior. Otherwise the rear seats would be on the rear wing LOL!

I mean I just think it's a cool thing to do. Ferrari have the X program too. I'm not that invested in myself to be honest. It's dragging on.

 

[Tourbillon]

Why did they wait 6 months before they published the time…?

There's a GMT difference. Plus we had floods and shit.

 

[A.P.]

It's the third fastest lap around the ring.

4th*
Dont forget the 956.

 

[martinbo]

Of course it's rough it's a prototype, if they make a customer version I expect it would be much better finished.

Then call it that. Don't call it a hypercar as this implies it's their finished road car product. This thing is so far removed from a finished road car.

 

[KiwiRob]

Then call it that. Don't call it a hypercar as this implies it's their finished road car product. This thing is so far removed from a finished road car.

I don’t see them implying it’s a finished car at all. Lotus would look silly if they did, it’s obviously a prototype.

The Wikipedia entry notes it was a damp track for the member above who doubted it.

 

[martinbo]

I don’t see them implying it’s a finished car at all. Lotus would look silly if they did, it’s obviously a prototype.

The Wikipedia entry notes it was a damp track for the member above who doubted it.

Sorry, my mistake. Nowhere does Lotus call this car a "hypercar". This sensationalist bell-end on the other hand...

 

[Revvd]

I made a fake Sport Auto data panel for the car
All the numbers used are from the onboard overlay, temps from JWW video, sektor times and 20.6 km lap time are also calculated and legit (unless I cocked it up somewhere along the way).

If you're gonna compare it with SA's 919 data panel, then be advised that their Hatzenbach numbers are measured far from where the map indicates and there might be other discrepancies also.

 

[Bucketslash11]

I looked at cornering speeds and the average cornering is slower than the 992 GT3RS. Having a time attack special corner slower than a normal road car - a pretty impressive achievement by Lotus!

can't break the laws of physics (inertia), arguably one of the biggest weaknesses of an EV, if you want big power and range you need a big battery

 

[Sunny]

can't break the laws of physics (inertia), arguably one of the biggest weaknesses of an EV, if you want big power and range you need a big battery

The X doesn't have a particularly big battery - just 70 kw. Which is the other discrepancy, the road version supposedly has 93kw battery. So though they claim X has same battery as the road car, it looks like it is not.

4th*
Dont forget the 956.

And 4th just cause most don't bother to do this pointless exercise with non-road cars. There are countless race cars on slicks that would be way faster if someone bothered to.