2022 Lotus Evija

The 2022 Lotus Evija is the British All-electric Hypercar and the thrilling next chapter of one of the greatest automotive stories ever told. The Lotus Evija continues a rich, 70-year tradition of iconic, game-changing road and racing cars. A bloodline steeped in daring innovation and radical thinking takes another revolutionary leap forward.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

The star of the show is the 2022 Lotus Evija‘s muscle-bound electric powertrain. Motivation is provided by a team of four electric motors, and Lotus claims they generate a total output of 1972 horsepower and 1254 lb-ft of torque. That’s almost double the horsepower provided by more expensive hypercars such as the Aston Martin Valkyrie. A single-speed automatic transmission governs it all, sending power to all four wheels. The car’s light curb weight is designed to optimize handling.

The company claims the 2022 Lotus Evija weighs just over 3700 pounds, making it supposedly the lightest EV hypercar ever to enter production. The Evija can reach a top speed of more than 200 mph, and Lotus expects it to sprint to 62 mph in under three seconds. The car’s performance can be customized via five driving modes: Range, City, Tour, Sport, and Track.

Our drive of an Evija prototype gave us a little taste of what to expect from the production version, namely its communicative steering rack and responsive handling characteristics. While the prototype had a detuned electric powertrain and was without some of its niftiest features, such as active aerodynamics and torque vectoring across its axles, it still generated just over 1600 horsepower and showcased its brutal acceleration.

Range, Charging, and Battery Life

EVs typically require you to wait several minutes or hours for the battery to charge. The Evija is different. It’s equipped with technology that’s designed to make charging the battery almost as quick as getting a fill-up at the gas pump. The car takes just 12 minutes for an 80 percent charge, and a full charge takes a mere 18 minutes. This Lotus hypercar is able to travel up to 250 miles between charges.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

The 2022 Lotus Evija seats two passengers, and its cabin is accessed via a pair of dihedral doors. These doors do without handles to preserve the car’s clean, sculptural aesthetic, and they’re operated using the key fob. Once you’ve entered the car, the doors can be closed using a switch on the overhead console. The Evija’s electrically adjustable front seats feature a carbon-fiber shell and thick pads swathed in microfiber.

The driver can manually adjust the tilt and length of the steering column, and there are two bespoke storage spaces placed close to the occupants’ hip points. The list of standard interior amenities includes climate control and three-point seatbelts, with four-point harnesses offered as optional equipment. Overall, Evija’s cabin has a look that’s somehow both retro and modern. Lotus says certain design elements were inspired by the company’s racing cars of the 1950s and ’60s.

Infotainment and Connectivity

All Evija hypercars come with tech features such as Bluetooth connectivity and an infotainment system. In front of the steering wheel, there’s a digital display that provides the driver with pertinent information like battery charge and remaining range. This is the car’s only screen. The Evija comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, and Lotus has installed an onboard modem that facilitates connection to the cloud. A smartphone app is available that allows drivers to monitor the Evija from any location, checking on things such as battery charge status and driving range.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

With driver-assistance technology becoming more prevalent on modern performance cars, we expect Lotus to at least offer some assistance on the Evija. For more information about Evija’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites.