Geneva 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept

Colin Chapman must be rolling in his grave. "A Lotus all stuffed full with batteries and electric motors?  That's hardly what I'd call 'adding lightness.'  You're all fired." I can't imagine there would be any other reaction from the mass master himself, but at least on paper this electron-infused Evora has what it takes to deserve the Lotus badge - and at the very least, it's a showcase of the brand's impressive technical know-how.

It's based on the 2+2 seater Evora, currently the top of Lotus' lineup, but ditches the 3.5L Toyota V6 for...  a 3-cylinder engine and some batteries.  While this doesn't sound especially promising at first, stay with me for a minute here.  the Evora 414E is an ER-EV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle), like the vaporware Volt and the Fisker Karma.  The gas motor is a tiny 1.2L 3-cylinder engine, which isn't actually connected to the rear wheels at all.  Rather, it's used as a generator to provide power to the 17kW/h lithium-polymer battery pack.  The battery pack is mounted in the middle of the car for even weight distribution.  There's also a plug-in port hidden behind the number plate so you can charge the 414E's batteries overnight, which reduces the car's overall C02 footprint dramatically.

This pack of batteries sends power to two electric motors, one for each rear wheel.  Both of them generate an impressive 207bhp and 295lb-ft of torque, for a total of 414bhp and 590lb-ft of torque - all instantly.  Since the motors are independent, Lotus controls their output to create what is effectively an active torque-vectoring rear differential, only without the mechanical inefficiency - kinda neat.  Power is transferred by a reduction single-gear transmission, like the Tesla.

The 414E can run for up to 35 miles without using a drop of gasoline, at which point the small gas motor kicks in to send more juice to the batteries.  With this setup, Lotus claims the Evora 414E will reach 60mph in under 4 seconds.

Beyond the ingenious powertrain setup, there are a few other goofy things about the 414E of note.  One is the HALOsonic sound generator system that was co-developed with Lotus and Harmon, which basically creates artificial engine noise inside and outside of the cabin to make you feel like you're driving a real car.  Which makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit, if I'm honest.  More interesting is the "floating roof" design which connects the engine cover and the roof in one long transparent panel.  The body is sort of matte-copper (to make people think of Duracell?)  and there are some slightly tacky "electric stuff" decals on the engine bay panel to remind people it's a hybrid, dang it.

Inside, it's Duracell-tastic with black and bronze seats and more bronze trim - not exactly a great color combo, but perhaps they're getting their point across.  Lotus says that a production version is a possibility in 2-3 years, which is pretty cool.  Let's just hope they don't contract the hybrid system out to Lucas Electronics...  oh, sorry.