Lotus has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Britishvolt to “collaborate on the research and development of advanced EV technology.” The partnership will focus on the co-development of a new battery cell package that will be paired with Lotus’ own propulsion systems in the carmaker’s next generation of electric sports cars.
One of those sports cars is the two-seat Type 135, which is being previewed by an official design sketch that accompanies the announcement and is due out in 2026. Lotus plans to launch four new EVs by that time, with other models being the much-awaited Type 132 SUV (due out in spring this year), the Type 133 four-door sedan (due in 2023) and another SUV, the Type 133 (due out in 2025).
Based on the sketch, it appears the Type 135 will take inspiration from past Lotus models like the Esprit and Europa, with a low-slung, cab forward design that is joined by prominent fenders and a subtle rear spoiler.
Previously, Lotus said the E-Sports platform it is jointly developing with Alpine for the Type 135 will be flexible and modular, in that it can accommodate batteries arranged under the floor or stacked up behind the seats to simulate a mid-engine layout. The smallest battery that can paired with the E-Sports platform will be a 66.4 kWh unit, while the largest will up capacity to 99.6 kWh.
“Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver. These are the first exciting steps on the journey towards an all-new electric sports car from Lotus, and yet another step towards the transformation towards sustainable, renewable electricity stored in batteries,” commented Matt Windle, managing director of Lotus Cars.
“Last year we committed Lotus to a pure electric future, and in the first month of this year we announce another significant step on that journey. In the coming months we will be unveiling the Type 132, an all-new and all-electric Lotus SUV and we’ve confirmed three more EVs are on the way,” he added.
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So what is Geely’s overall EV plan? Seems that it has no centralised overall EV plan.
Right now geely has multiple EV brands
– EV Smarts
– Zeekr
– Geometry
– Lotus
Looks like it is all over the place.