After providing their design and chassis expertise for the Tesla Roadster and the Europa based Dodge EV Concept, Lotus no longer seems content with making electric vehicles with other automakers, so the company has announced plans to produce their own electric vehicle (EV).
According to Lotus chief executive, Michael Kimberley, the company is currently working on the technologies needed to produce the new electric sports car and he hinted that it could appear soon. Unlike the Tesla which is based off the Elise, Lotus plans to build their EV with a small gasoline engine that will turn on to recharge the batteries. The model would be capable of achieving 300 to 400 miles per tank of gas, however Kimberley declined to say what size fuel tank the car would feature which makes fuel economy estimates anyone's guess.
The announcement comes on the heels of the company's recent commitment to invest £60 million into developing new technology and vehicles that will offer reduced emissions. Lotus has shown a strong interest in expanding their limited product range as of late, this year the company will launch the four-seat Evora and plans to introduce the new Esprit and a replacement for the Elise soon.
A concept version of the Lotus EV could appear as soon as the Geneva auto show in March but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
speed_freak
January 2, 2009 8:01 PM
