Lotus Hybrid – the Lotus Evora 414E – at Geneva

The only photo we have of the Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid

Last year we reported on a range extender engine developed by Lotus for use in hybrid cars. The range extender engine was part of a joint project between Lotus, Jaguar, MIRA and Caparo in conjunction with the Technology Strategy Board and was designed to provide charge – rather than drive – for hybrid cars. A solution that seems far more elegant than the current Prius-type setups.

The Lotus Range Extender is currently being tested in the new Jaguar XJ Limo-Green. It’s a 3-pot, 1.2 litre 47bhp engine designed to run at constant speed – which is far more efficient – and provide charge for the batteries after the plug-in charge has been used. And now it finds its way in to the Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept, which will be at Geneva next week.

The Lotus Evora 414E get’s its standard oily bits replaced by the range extender engine, a bank of lithium ion batteries and a pair of electric motors (one on each rear wheel) producing 207bhp each – hence the ’414′ tag. As is usual with this sort of setup the Evora 414E comes with a single speed CVT ‘box. But this is Lotus, and they’ve answered one of our biggest criticism of electric cars – the poor driving experience – by fitting some clever software which manages to make the single-speed CVT ‘box behave like a 7-speed ‘box. Bravo.

Lotus have also addressed the silent running of the Evora Hybrid (it can do 35 miles in electric-only mode) by fitting the HALOsonic Internal and External Electronic Sound Synthesis system which gives an audible warning to pedestrians. But it can also- at the touch of a button – simulate the sound of a real engine. You can choose a V6 soundtrack, V12 or even a Star Trek ‘Whoosh’.

I think I like the sound of this Lotus Hybrid (pun intended).

By Cars UK