After renewing several teasers, Lotus officially unveiled the brand's first pure electric SUV, the Eletre, on March 29, 2022. The Eletre has a rather bold and avant-garde design with good aerodynamics, and its power is expected to be in a dual-motor configuration with a maximum output of about 600 horsepower, paired with a lithium battery pack of at least 100 kWh, providing a pure electric endurance of about 600 km. In addition, in high-speed charging mode, it takes only 20 minutes to provide a mileage of about 400 kilometers.
The exterior is avant-garde and bold, and the air design is the focus
Since Lotus positioned the Eletre as the world's first electric supercar SUV (Hyper-SUV), in terms of exterior design, it can be seen that many of the sports car design elements inherited by Evija and Emira can be seen.
From the front of the car, the Eletre's headlight set features an elongated design, while in the traditional tank shroud and intake dam location, the original designers created a visual impression that closely resembles a sports car through the distribution of two-color proportions and complex line combinations. In the side part, the original factory first used the black roof and black side skirt to change the visual proportions of the body, and then brought a sense of movement through the undulating sheet metal folding line. As the line of sight reaches the rear of the car, Eletre changes the aggressive impression of the front of the car, and the original designer uses a similar sculptural brushstroke to the rear of the car, creating a rounded, full and futuristic rear design.
In addition to the design aspect, Eletre also has a lot to mention in the appearance part. First, Eletre uses three-lens Electric Reverse Mirror Display (ERMD) electronic rearview mirrors for rear imagery, 360-degree surround photography and active safety systems. In addition, the aluminum ring pedaled under the Eletre foot has also reached 23 inches in size, and it is combined with a 10-piston ceramic braking system in the opposite direction to provide the required braking performance.
In the aerodynamics section, the original engineer installed an active closed gas curtain in the traditional lower dam position, and the system will open and close with different speeds to balance the required electrical heat dissipation and improve the wind resistance; in addition, the design of the front air inlet allows the air flow to be diverted from the hood, fender, etc., to further reduce the wind resistance and provide better heat dissipation performance of the brake system. Not only that, but both sides of the D-pillar and rear are also equipped with airflow channels, which are combined with a separate spoiler on the roof and an active lifting tail to provide better rear axle downforce.
15.1 inch central screen, HUD with AR capabilities
In terms of interiors, Eletre has a futuristic and technological cockpit. The first thing that catches the eye is the 15.1-inch horizontal OLED touch screen on the center console, and when not in use, the screen folds horizontally, making the overall cockpit more clean. The overall interior design is based on black and gray, and the main interior coating material is wool blend, which can be 50% lighter than traditional leather. In addition, Eletre's HUD head-up display will feature Augmented Reality (AR) augmented reality capabilities, integrating virtual reality for more accurate driving instructions.
LiDAR DS system is used to configure complete active safety equipment
In the driver assistance equipment section, Eletre uses lenses with LIDAR light reach system, standard with Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) auto-follow-up, Collision Mitigation Support Front (CMSF) forward warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) rear lateral traffic warning, front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA) forward lateral traffic warning, Lane Change Assist (LCA) lane change assist, Lane Keep Aid with Lane Departure Warning / Prevention (LKA+) lane shift assist, and Collision Mitigation Support Rear (CMSR) rear warning and other important systems.
600 hp, 600 km/h, 4 driving modes
In terms of powertrain, Eletre uses an 800V high-voltage electric system, lithium battery pack capacity is expected to reach 100kWh, pure electric endurance of about 600 kilometers. In 350kW high-speed charging mode, it provides a range of about 400 kilometers in just 20 minutes, while the Eletre also supports 22kW AC charging.
In addition, the four-wheel drive system built with dual motors not only delivers a maximum horsepower of 600 horses, but also allows the Eletre to have zero-hundred acceleration performance in less than 3 seconds. In order to cope with different driving environments, the original factory also introduced four driving modes, including Range, Tour, Sport, Off-Road and Individual. It is worth mentioning that in order to improve the performance of intense driving, Eletre is equipped with air pressure suspension and Continuous Damping Control (CDC) continuous damping control. In addition, active car height adjustment, active rear axle steering, active anti-roll bars and active torque distribution are also listed as standard.
Eletre is expected to begin mass production in 2022, assembled from the new facility in Wuhan, and expected to start delivering to markets such as China, the Uk and Europe in 2023.