Another brand that abandons the idea of ​​all electric in the short term

After Volvo or Mercedes, here is another high-end brand that is abandoning the idea of ​​all-electric technology in the short term. Lotus now wants to focus on plug-in hybrid technology with a particularity.

Since its takeover by Proton and especially the majority shareholding of Geely in 2017, Lotus has seen its wings grow. It must be said that the Chinese upper echelons have decided to give Lotus complete carte blanche to develop high-end vehicles with high technical performance. Even if it means forgetting a little the DNA of the brand which advocates the lightest possible machines. And then, no matter the budget invested: the development of the Eletre cost a small fortune without expecting significant returns on investments. The advantage of flying the Chinese flag for a small English manufacturer which had never had its hands on such envelopes for research and development! But the excessive ambitions of the “new” Lotus nevertheless come up against a saturation of the electric market which leads the managers to take a new direction.

Lotus and all electric, not for now

Lotus has therefore decided to abandon the idea of ​​going all-electric from 2028. Mission impossible and little achieved for the English brand which will turn to “Super Hybrids”, by sharing the technologies currently in development at Geely’s cousin , Zeekr. He also plans to launch high-end plug-in hybrids in the coming years to complete the electric offering.

At Lotus, this could mean that the Emeya and the Eletre could be entitled to a hybrid version quite quickly in parallel with the 100% electric offer. And as Lotus is now moving in the spheres of Porsche in terms of positioning, these will not be PHEVs like the others. In fact, the motor should not be used directly to drive the wheels but rather to increase autonomy with a particularity : a 900V electrical network. A rare voltage in the automotive world, including pure electric cars since, apart from the Nio ET9 and a few endurance prototypes, no vehicle is designed today at more than 800V. This voltage would further reduce the need for wiring at equivalent power thanks to lower amperages and more limited temperature rises. With this solution, Lotus is talking about “fast charging”, i.e. even faster charging than a battery exchange.. The best of both worlds with a high-performance thermal engine to fill the battery, which will inevitably have a fairly high cost. But to target Porsche and develop, Lotus will indeed have to demonstrate technical brilliance.