WATCH: Lotus unveils first EV and SUV, the Eletre

MANILA: Lotus has taken the wraps off its Eletre — an electric SUV that delivers a significant number of firsts for the British car marque.

The Eletre is Lotus' first five-door production car, the first model outside sports car segments, the first so-called "lifestyle EV," and the most connected Lotus ever. 

The Eletre is 4WD, has a battery capacity over 100kWh, and boasts power from 600hp. With a 350kW charger, Lotus said that the EV will deliver a 400-kilometer range in just 20 minutes with a  target maximum driving range of 600km. The Eletre also comes with the ability as standard to accept 22kW AC charging which, where available, reduces the time plugged in.

With a flat "skateboard-style" battery pack and electric motors  close to the ground, these create a low center of gravity and deliver Lotus-quality handling. There are two electric motors, one driving the front wheels and another driving the rear wheels, while a three-in-one electric drive system integrates each motor with a controller and reducer, an efficient design which makes the unit smaller and lighter — a very Lotus solution.

For comfort and dynamics, the Eletre has been fitted with five-link suspension at the rear while standard equipment includes air suspension and Continuous Damping Control (CDC). Active ride height, active rear axle steering, an active anti-roll bar and torque vectoring via braking are all available.

The Eletre comes with four drive modes, which adjust the steering, damper settings, powertrain and accelerator pedal response. The modes are Range, Tour, Sport, Off-Road and Individual, and are standard on all versions of the car.

Design duties for the Eletre were led by Ben Payne, whose team has aimed to create the EV's cab-forward stance, long wheelbase, and very short overhangs front and rear. With no engine at the front end, the short hood echoes the styling cues of Lotus’ iconic mid-engined layout. 

A signature element of the design is what Lotus calls "porosity." or the aerodynamic principle of air flowing through, under, over, and around the car. Porosity is most obvious where air is channeled under the leading edge of the car, emerging through two exit vents in the hood above.

There are other examples of porosity ahead of and behind the front wheel arches, behind the rear wheels, and even at the top of the D-pillar.

Lotus believes there are benefits to porosity, such as less resistance in cutting through the air that results to a more efficient journey in terms of improved vehicle range, speed, and performance.

Each door mirror is replaced by an Electric Reverse Mirror Display (ERMD), which houses three different cameras: one for the rearview mirror, a second to help create a 360-degree view of the car from above to aid parking, and a third that is part of the intelligent driving technologies. All ERMD units works in tandem with the Eletre’s LIDAR autonomous driving capability.

The car rides on 23-inch machine-cut split-finish five-spoke alloys with carbon fiber inserts to aid air flow and ceramic composite 10-piston caliper brakes. 

Inside, sustainability has been a core focus of the Eletre design team, which has worked with leading supplier Kvadrat on material choices. The interior uses premium feel and highly durable man-made microfibers on the primary touchpoints, and an advanced wool-blend fabric on the seats. It is 50% lighter than traditional leather, allowing for further weight savings.

The hard materials are carbon fiber, though rather than use the traditional "weave" most often associated with automotive design, Lotus has recycled the fibers trimmed from the edge of the weave. These have been reconstructed into a new matting, then compressed in a resin to create the car’s premium marble-like finish. 

Front and center in the Eletre's dashboard is an OLED touchscreen, a 15.1-inch landscape interface which provides access to the car’s advanced infotainment system. It automatically folds flat when not required. Information can also be displayed to the driver via a head-up display featuring augmented reality (AR) technology,  standard equipment on the car.

While every element of the Eletre can be controlled digitally, certain key controls are duplicated with analog switches — another nod to the simplicity for which Lotus is famed. Voice control through advanced speech recognition technology is also available.

Part of the Eletre’s User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) is the Lotus attribute of simplicity shown through three pillars.

The first is "lightweight," a name given to both the system components and the experience. For example, with three touches of the main screen users can access 95% of the car’s functionality. The second pillar of "intelligence" means the system is versatile, creating a vehicle which is fully customizable through the settings menu.

The final pillar is "immersive," with carefully crafted and curated content and interactions that excite and engage occupants. This includes the on-screen three-dimensional world in which the car is viewed. The Eletre is adopting user experiences from the worlds of gaming and mobile technology. 

The latest connectivity technology, including 5G compatibility, is part of the Eletre package. This enables continuous connection to the car via smartphone app, OTA software updates and the ability for customers to purchase new features enabled via software as they become available. A smartphone app for Eletre owners will include access to driving logs, vehicle and charge status, remote features, location services and a host of other functionality.

Watch the Eletre in action in the Lotus YouTube channel. 

Photos from Lotus

Also read: Lotus partners with Britishvolt for carmaker's electric SUV