The new Lotus Evija pure electric hypercar is making waves again today, after chief aerodynamicist Richard Hill said the Evija’s aerodynamic performance, when compared to regular sports cars, is like “comparing a fighter jet to a child’s kite.”
Hill explained that while regular cars have to “punch a hole in the air” and have that displaced air flow around the body, the Evija’s unique porosity literally lets it “breathe” the air. “The front acts like a mouth; it ingests the air, sucks every kilogram of value from it (he meant downforce), then exhales it through the dramatic rear end,” he said.
The huge front splitter is designed in three sections, in that the larger central area provides air to cool the battery pack (positioned centrally in the car, behind the two seats), while the smaller side vents cool the front e-axle. The splitter also minimises underbody air flow, thereby reducing drag and lift, but still generates some downforce.
Move to the back, the Venturi tunnels help reduce drag. Without them, the Evija would be like a parachute, but with them it’s like a butterfly net. This makes the Evija unique in the hypercar world, Hill added. Then there are active aerodynamics, where the rear wing raises when required to provide additional downforce for stability at higher speeds. It also has an F1-style Drag Reduction System, which is a deployable horizontal plane that briefly makes the car go faster.
At launch, the Evija will be Lotus’ first car with a full carbon-fibre chassis, a technology it pioneered in Formula 1. This should make it the lightest electric hypercar in the world, and together with the aerodynamics will make it one of the grippiest as well. More data on the aerodynamics will be released later this year when final testing is completed.
Richard Hill has worked with Lotus since 1986 and extensively collaborated with various exterior designers for every car the British automaker introduced. His official capacity is chief engineer of aerodynamics and thermal management – besides developing aero performance, he also oversees all vehicle cooling, cabin ventilation and thermal management systems.
To recap, the Lotus Evija is developed with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), featuring four extremely compact Electrical Drive Unit (advanced electric motor) that is targeted to make about 500 PS each. The total system output is said to be 2,000 PS and 1,700 Nm, allowing the hypercar to sprint from 0-100 km/h in under three seconds, or 0-300 km/h in under nine seconds.
Production is slated to begin later this year, with Lotus stating that the first year’s allocation has already been snapped up by customers around the world. It is also Lotus’ first all-new model since 2008, and will be the world’s most powerful production road car.
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The great Dany Bahar creation. simply flawless,
No wonder that so many race-car-wannabe manufacturers make so many fake vents and fake holes in the bumpers, bonnet, etc to their cars.
Kedai Abang should manufacture & sell “Instant paste-on fake holes/vent” stickers. I think they are gonna sell like hot cakes
“Instant paste-on fake holes/vent” stickers +10HP
In this case, the vents and holes do work.
So they’re not trying to beat the upcoming Tesla Roadster targeted performance. I wonder how their aerodynamic will fare against the like of Mclaren Speedtail or Dallara Stradale. Those are aerodynamic monsters in terms of smooth sailing & high down force respectively.
The speedtail is not high down force, that would be the Senna. The speed tail is a car made to chase top speed, so its down force is just enough to keep it planted. Besides, the Dallara Stradale is also touted to be a track car. Also, neither of the two are fully electric. It seems that this Evija’s aerodynamic design and propulsion choices are more akin to the hyper GTs like Koenigseggs and the Pininfarina Batista.
What a bold statement
Venturi tunnels? pfft… Hill.. MyVi SE has got that those since 2015 lah bro. Here, we eat Subi for breakfast.
Fake ones that were only for show on the Myvi? Myvi isn’t even fast enough to generate venturi effects. The aero add-ons on the Myvi was to make the car airborne, not stick to the ground. Hence, the ‘Myvi turtle’ moniker.
Myvi no way. But average sedan (or any front engined car with long rear tail/boot) automatically have this venturi effect, but usually being left as they’re and not engineered to be as extreme as this Lotus of course.
Its real stupid, Lotus has finally came out with a great car, full package – tech & design
But at only limited production.
No wonder thy have so many debts
If there’s too many on the road, it will become just an “average” supercar like the Corvette or the new NSX. This car supposed to be exclusive, also a halo car. Clearly this is for marketing purpose. The car supposed to be the “talk-of-the-town”, improving the brand image. That’s why they officially release such info about this car before it debut. When launched, It will also drive demands for other car in their line-ups.
Sorry to say, but look at Aston Martin, the cmpy has borrow n borrow money frm every bank and keep changing ownership –
You have to stable your cmpy revenue wth production not quantity
How many times Lotus has to file chapter 11