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Not content with being Lotus’ first SUV, the Eletre is also completely electric thanks to two motors delivering 600 hp powered by a 100 kWh battery. A heresy for a builder who had elevated lightness to the rank of art?
The Lotus Eletre marks a real turning point in the history of the British brand. Indeed, this SUV is the first of four electric vehicles that the British, owned by Geely, should offer by 2025. Until now, the Eletre was codenamed Type 132 and the following electric models are currently baptized Type 133, Type 134 and Type 135.
Regarding its dimensions, the Eletre is close to another sports SUV, the Lamborghini Urus, with 5.105 m long, 2.131 m wide and 1.63 m high. The wheelbase also seems similar with more than 3 m when the trunk volume is announced for 470 l. With its size, the Lotus Eletre is therefore mainly intended for the Chinese and American markets, but Europe will also be a privileged target as the growth of SUVs there is insolent. For the moment, the Lotus Eletre seems to be without direct rival since the Lamborghini Urus is an all-thermal, the next Ferrari Purosangue will be exclusively hybrid and the Porsche Taycan is a sedan.
The Eletre’s platform, Electric Premium Architecture (EPA), is completely new and created by Lotus, rather than from Geely. A major challenge for the manufacturer since in addition to being modular and capable of receiving different electric motors and battery sizes, it must above all be profitable. Thus, Lotus plans to sell it to other manufacturers to become profitable.
Interesting news, because if this platform were to become widespread, it would be able to accommodate, as on the Eletre, two electric motors, one on each axle, delivering a total of nearly 600 hp. These motors are powered by a battery of more than 100 kWh for a WLTP autonomy announced by the manufacturer of 600 km. In addition, thanks to its 800 V architecture, the Eletre is able to charge up to 350 kW and recover 400 km in 20 min.
“Numbers and Eletre” which also allow this SUV to bulge the chest and display a top speed of 260 km / h and less than 3 s to bring down the 0 to 100 km / h. Given these performances and the capacity of the battery, it’s a safe bet that the total weight of the Eletre will be well above 2 t, unfortunately very high for a Lotus, which will necessarily affect agility and will force the manufacturer to increase the power and torque. However, the manufacturer also assumes its desire to diversify its clientele.
In terms of standard equipment, the Eletre tries to reassure the driving enthusiast with an adaptive air suspension, active aerodynamics, configurable ride height, a torque vectoring manager via an electronic limited slip differential and a train directive rear. It also gives pride of place to driving aids with not only adaptive cruise control, lane change assistant, lane keeping, front and rear collision mitigation, traffic sign alert, door opening warning, front and rear traffic alert, but it also incorporates level 4 autonomous driving, i.e. the driver has nothing to manage on certain types of road . However, this will only be active depending on the legislation of the countries. In France, it will be necessary to be satisfied with level 2 semi-autonomous driving. Lotus has placed the first deployable LiDAR sensors in the world around the Eletre. Hidden sensors emerge from the top of the windshield and wheel arches when needed.
Inside, the Lotus Eletre is also full of technology with a 15.1-inch touchscreen oriented in landscape mode, which automatically folds flat when not in use. A camera in the dashboard observes where the driver is looking and adjusts the brightness of the screens accordingly. Ditto for the cameras that replace the mirrors: the brightness of the image adjusts whether the driver observes, or not. Over the Air updates are of course included, in particular thanks to the vehicle’s 5G connectivity, as is a companion app.
The first deliveries are expected in Europe from 2023 for a price starting around… €120,000.