Lotus to launch Evora Hybrid at Geneva, two electric motors backed by a Range Extender engine

Lotus to launch Evora Hybrid at Geneva, two electric motors backed by a Range Extender engine

Next week’s Geneva show will see Lotus unveil the Evora 414E Hybrid concept, a high performance technology demonstrator with a plug-in series hybrid drive system. The figure in the name refers to the 414 PS (408 bhp) of power the Evora has, enough to propel it from 0-96 km/h (60 mph) in less than 4 seconds.

The drivertrain powering the Evora 414E Hybrid consists of two electric motors, each limited to providing 204 bhp of power and 400 Nm of torque to each of the rear wheels via independent, single speed, reduction transmissions integrated into a single housing. This layout enables torque vectoring dynamic control of the vehicle, says Lotus.

Batteries are the latest lithium polymer type with 17 kWH energy storage capacity. They can be charged overnight using a conventional domestic mains supply through a socket concealed by the rear number plate. The zero-emission battery powered range is 56 km (35 miles). In longer journeys, the Lotus Range Extender engine provides 47 bhp of mechanical power converted to electrical energy to replenish the battery pack and provides additional vehicle range.

Lotus says that overall, using the Lotus Range Extender is far more energy efficient, weight efficient and cost effective than fitting the vehicle with a larger and more expensive battery, which for the majority of short journeys is a redundant weight, increasing energy requirements. It adds that the total lifetime CO2 emissions of its Range Extender vehicle is lower than a fully electric car (with a larger battery) of comparable performance and operating range.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • boleh on Feb 25, 2010 at 8:24 pm

    Malaysia BOLEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • Mysticmind on Feb 25, 2010 at 8:32 pm

    Now.. what a good move.

    The Range Extender engine share to all platform. In lotus and in proton. They should licensed it to many many more car maker. High output KW with small and the best is.. REMEMBER the engine is only 50kg!.

    Faster proton! Make it out to market ASAP. With the right price!

    I sure wanna buy one.

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  • Mysticmind on Feb 25, 2010 at 8:33 pm

    I mean the proton one. The lotus one surely expensive. hehehe

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  • BASHERking on Feb 25, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    its mean,hybrid proton will become reality soon

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  • MUSTANKS on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    wow, nice one..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Will this technology land here?

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  • xavier lert on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:09 pm

    how much its gonna be if its going live ??…..since the normal one cos around 50k to 60k GBP…… this definitely will stackup to 70k/80k GBP

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  • GO SAGA on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:09 pm

    the best time to wake-up

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  • mofaz on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:10 pm

    0-100kmph in 4 seconds… who says electric motor is not powerful?

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  • o-zon on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:30 pm

    yes..the electric motors is powerful but the major problem is the charging mechanism. how to charge a batteries fast? it needs thousand amps to do it. where to get >1000 A? or, hv to charge them overnight.

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  • i want 1!!

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  • Keith Duckworth on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    Put it in the Saga/Persona (less powerful one lah). Be first on the market huhu!

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  • tokmoh on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:35 pm

    That orange strip with two "eyes" each look like snails staring at you, so CUUUUUTEEE~!! KAWAIIIII~!!

    I think Lotus' electric technology looks more impressive than most other electric car concepts. The only other alternative fuel tech that I quite admire is Honda Clarity fuel-cell car.

    inb4 waste taxpayers money, power window problem, fuel subsidy, remove tax, etc…

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  • MADBOY on Feb 25, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    dog said,

    February 25, 2010 @ 1:07 pm

    Will this technology land here?

    ——-

    yes, next year with in proton exora

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  • EVORA=HOT on Feb 25, 2010 at 10:00 pm

    electric motors traditionally have VERY torque output n like o-zon said the means to charge n storage of the high amp current is d prob..ive seen video's of the tesla, its jz GOES lik the wind, no delay..juz awesome for torque junkies

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  • the zero-emission battery powered range is 56 km (35 miles). In longer journeys, the Lotus Range Extender engine provides 47 bhp of mechanical power converted to electrical energy to replenish the battery pack and provides "additional vehicle range".

    what the range for the "ADDITION VEHICLE RANGE"

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  • gen2lama on Feb 25, 2010 at 10:15 pm

    khahaha tokmoh….somebody will say u are orang kampung ulu tak berpelajaran….

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  • kt (Member) on Feb 25, 2010 at 11:14 pm

    I wonder if the range extender's maintenance requirements are similar to that of a ICE car ie. service, oil, spark plug etc. since it is a gas engine if im not mistaken rite?

    Somebody at Lotus is lying.

    It is a fundamental thermodynamic fact the inclusion of more systems will simply increase inefficiency due to the property known as entropy. So how can a similarly specced gas engine car be less efficient? In a gas engine car the fuel is pumped, stored AND combusted directly within ONE entity.

    In this concept, the gas is stored and combusted when required, dont forget power source also comes from wall sockets which means the energy is generated somewhere else and transmitted.

    To give a simple analogy, imagine one athlete who run a fast in a race, now we have a second competitor who run as fast but slightly further due to an extra energy bar that he secretly carried. Whose the more efficient? The arguments given by Lotus are eye candy. I dont trust these guys and Ive given facts to back up my instincts.

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  • rexis on Feb 25, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    What is better then a rebadged Lotus with engine swap aka Tesla?

    Range extended Lotus of course!

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  • if proton do have this, i'll buy one…the lotus one is out of my range…hehe…RM400K?500K?

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  • farghmee on Feb 26, 2010 at 12:11 am

    offtopic>>

    efficiency of a carnot cycle can be easily found.

    however, that is only highest theoretical value an engine can achieve.

    most of the time, the engine will not get that value.

    maybe, with the whole new drivetrain setup (engine+generator+motor) the overall efficiency will be better than the conventional type (engine+transmission gear).

    come to think of it, gas is easier to combust since the particle is smaller, therefore more surface area for the chemical reaction to take place.

    there for higher eff.

    regarding power-from-socket stuff, i think here in malaysia is a neat option. why?

    because we have those hydroelectric dams (PE->KE->EE).

    however i dunno whether the TNB's power reserve is by how much?

    where's my thermo book..entropy..exergy..

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  • Cross Polo on Feb 26, 2010 at 12:25 am

    kt said,

    February 25, 2010 @ 3:14 pm

    ———————————————–

    Service enjin macam biasa le… tu pun nak bising, dah rosak bising plak kata P1 bagi enjin tak bagus padahal sendiri tak ikut aturan pengunaan & service. Enjin yang kecik tu berperanan sebagai pengecas bateri pack yang mana akan mengecas semula bateri tu bila kuasa bateri sampai level pertengahan atau 1/3 kuasa bateri… apa yang aku tahu, dengan cari ini dapat mengekalkan kuasa pada kenderaan untuk tempoh perjalanan yang panjang. Diaorang terangkan secara teknikal, mungkin tak berapa paham. Palam soket pula digunakan bila kenderaan tersebut berhenti parking, pada masa tersebut enjin tak hidup jadi sama macam cellphone gak nak kena charge bila bateri kurang cuma bezanya kalau enjin kecik tu dah charge bateri tu penuh waktu kita sampai rumah jadi tak payah le nak sesibuk nak pasang palam charger tu….

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  • Mysticmind on Feb 26, 2010 at 12:28 am

    to KT.

    yes and no.

    true and false.

    IMO

    1. This engine can't be consider as others car engine, it's more near to generator. Electric generator. (Oh.. well might be good for pasar malam business too!) – im thinkin this engine are less hassle, not too much adjustment thingy, low noise and vibration. (Need to study about the engine somemore).

    2 – In the new world, no need spark plug. Direct injection + lean burn + whatever it is… so less maintenance.

    3 – This engine also do not connect into a gearbox, no complicated camshaft, no radiator? no this no that no bla bla.. It's a basic combustion engine with basic thing and just… refinement. And i think it also no need cam pulley, belt here there, too many timing chain belt bla bla.. That's why it's only 50 kg.

    4 – Talking about the electric power. Again.. it's better and easier to manage an Electric Power Plant , reducing CO, emission bla bla in a single place rather than 'from many exhaust'. And yet, electricity may come from many sources around you not only from oil, gas, charcoal. From wind and solar, from nuclear or from someone tempered head… etc. Then no prob.

    Hidrogen from Water is better? THAT RUBBISH. No good and effiecient tech yet to be with that. Biofuel? That's killing more nature. You need big land to farming then make oil from it.

    For me.. EV is the future.

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  • Cross Polo on Feb 26, 2010 at 12:28 am

    Hybrid yang ada guna sekarang kebanyakkan masih lagi guna kuasa enjin bila nak memecut… Yang ni plak semua kuasa motor elektrik untuk memecut jadi enjin tu bertujuan untuk charge bateri aje supaya kuasa tak hilang bila guna lebih kuasa… Paham ke tak nie….

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  • Ahmad on Feb 26, 2010 at 12:39 am

    Any info regarding the Extender max ampere output? How long will it takes to fully charge the battery? Oddly, I agree somehow with o-zon. A riddle there to be clarified.

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  • rexis on Feb 26, 2010 at 12:41 am

    I just read it on greencarcongress. Wow, I mean, WOW.

    Paul you have missed the many fun part of it, namely, artificial gear shift on a gearless configuration, regenerative braking controlled by down shifting, and you can select the engine sound of your choice, V6 or futuristic engine sound, LOL.

    So they can program it sound and behave like almost any car you wanted.

    Wonder how does a futuristic engine sound like.

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  • nigttrain on Feb 26, 2010 at 1:11 am

    Sweet acceleration… silently beating Porsches and GTRs. Best performance at traffic lights. And pure babe magnet. It's a hybrid on Viagra!

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  • kt,

    Maybe you should read Paul's earlier article on the Lotus Range Extender linked to in this article. With a hybrid, you gain because the ICE can be made to run where it is most efficient at all times. Besides, with an electric motor and battery, you can also take advantage of regenerative braking.

    If we go by your entropy logic, then bicycles also wouldn't make sense. There are losses in the bike's wheels and gears. So how come the guy on the bicycle can go further and faster than the one who is running?

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  • Love Malaysia on Feb 26, 2010 at 2:16 am

    rexis,

    No wonder lah last time Lotus came out a system that make noise for electric car. This has been planed long time ago.

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  • Jimmy Dean on Feb 26, 2010 at 4:41 am

    kt said,

    February 25, 2010 @ 3:14 pm

    Somebody at Lotus is lying.

    It is a fundamental thermodynamic fact the inclusion of more systems will simply increase inefficiency due to the property known as entropy. So how can a similarly specced gas engine car be less efficient? In a gas engine car the fuel is pumped, stored AND combusted directly within ONE entity.

    In this concept, the gas is stored and combusted when required, dont forget power source also comes from wall sockets which means the energy is generated somewhere else and transmitted.

    —————————————————————-

    In a conventional car, the engine load varies according to the torque and speed requirement of the vehicle or the drive cycles if tested on a dynamometer according to EPA test standard. This means that even though the engine max thermal efficiency is near 30% but most of the time it is operating way below that. However, when the engine is used to turn the genrator, the engine can be optimized specifically for the narrow band of speed and torque requirement. What it means is that the engien is operating mostly at the most efficient point and near the max thermal efficiency all the time. During operation, the engine (thru the generator) can send power directly to the motor controller hence avoiding the losses of charging the batteries. If power requirement is more than the capacity of the engine, the battery will provide the additional power. And if the power requirement is less than the ideal operating load of the engine, the excess power will be stored in the batteries (therefore keeping the engine operating at the ideal peak thermal efficiency).

    In addition, if the daily driving range of a typical commuter will be less than 50 km, then most of the time you can skip the fuel station and just plug in for overnight charging at home. Maybe you'll need to refuel only once per week for outstation trip or weekend get aways. This could translate to perhaps 70% of all driving mileage in pure EV mode without the range extender unit being turned on.

    As far as the future, I can foresee that the vehicle architecture will evolved one day to the point where you can just just go to battery station to swap your car battery pack instead of the long overnight charging. When this will take place? Maybe when the battery pack alone can provide 300-400 km driving range on a single charge and when the industry agree on a standard for battery pack that can be swap easily at charging station.

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  • 0-100 kmh in 4 secs! I've got to get myslef one of these! Can it fly too? To all Proton and Lotus bashers, this car is saying, "Eat my electrons!"

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  • PCB pattern on engine/motor glass window.

    Very Neat~

    :)

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  • bmpower on Feb 26, 2010 at 5:42 am

    hurry mass produce it! wanna buy 1!

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  • wau…anyone need generator Lotus for pasar malam? performance generator..

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  • E_A said,

    PCB pattern on engine/motor glass window.

    Very Neat~

    ————————————

    anybody touch this patern will straight go (die)…touch n go..hehehhehe 17KWH..big capasity…

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  • Nicholas.C on Feb 26, 2010 at 10:01 am

    It gets even better! Once this is successful they can move on and replace the piston engine with a micro-turbine (think small scale jet) engine and end up with a more efficient, lighter system with even less moving parts that can burn nearly anything flammable.

    — from wikipedia–

    Microturbine systems have many advantages over reciprocating engine generators, such as higher power to weight ratio, extremely low emissions and few, or just one, moving part. Advantages are that microturnbines may be designed with foil bearings and air-cooling operating without lubricating oil, coolants or other hazardous materials. Microturbines also have a further advantage of having the majority of the waste heat contained in the relatively high temperature exhaust making it simpler to capture, whereas the waste heat of reciprocating engines is split between its exhaust and cooling system.

    However, reciprocating engine generators are quicker to respond to changes in output power requirement and are usually slightly more efficient, although the efficiency of microturbines is increasing. Microturbines also lose more efficiency at low power levels than reciprocating engines. When used in vehicles the static efficiency drawback is negated by the superior power – weight ratio – the vehicle does not have to pull a heavy engine and transmission.

    They accept most commercial fuels, such as gasoline, natural gas, propane, diesel, and kerosene as well as renewable fuels such as E85, biodiesel and biogas.

    — end from wikipedia–

    PLUS, because the engine is not connected to a drivetrain but to a generator, it can constantly turn at it's optimal speed and have NONE of the drawbacks of an traditional turbine engine connected to the wheel.

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  • WhiteFox on Feb 26, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    wow Nicholas,

    May be when this tech is mature enough it will become another choice of range extender engine for car manufacturer

    BTW do it is similiar tech to the Mazda RX engine?

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  • bmpower on Feb 26, 2010 at 10:12 pm

    Great! Good work nicholas. I was thought it was piston engine!

    Small turbin.. hummm… wanna buy that halfcut one if later available. wanna put on a superbike body.

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  • MoFaz on Feb 27, 2010 at 11:37 am

    WhiteFox,

    Mazda RX is rotary engine. turbine engine is on aeroplanes.

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  • ezralimm on Feb 27, 2010 at 4:29 pm

    An alternative to gas combustion is the conversion of gas DIRECTLY into electricity.

    http://gizmodo.com/5479460/giz-explains-fuel-cell…

    The concept has already been commercialized and is saving big corporations alot of money. And it looks small enough to fit in a car.

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  • pomen_gtr on Mar 02, 2010 at 1:26 am

    why the big G never give tax discount for P1 own child "LOTUS" while so called other rebadges manufacturer can avoid the tax…

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