The Lotus Evija is still testing

By topgear, 16 December 2019

Lotus wants you to know its all-electric Evija hypercar is definitely, absolutely a Thing. A Thing that you will one day be able to buy. Which it why it’s continuing to send us pictures (and videos) of it undergoing testing in the hands of Dynamics Baron Gavan Kershaw (no, that’s not really his job title).

The car you’re looking at is the second of three prototypes currently being tested. And the most advanced. It has ‘customer specification’ suspension, powertrain and brakes, the most complete interior yet, carbon-fibre body panels and hydraulics for the active aero. No torque vectoring or stability control though, says Kershaw.

“The car is in a completely pure state at the moment,” he says. “This is so we can evaluate the fundamentals of the chassis, to create the mechanical advantage before the other layers, such as the electronics, are added. It means we can really read the car.”

When it’s ready, the Evija should have 1,972bhp and 1,699Nm, giving 0-100kph in under three seconds, 0-300kph in under nine and a top speed a way north of 322kph. Production is scheduled to start next year