Change is a constant, but the re-shaping of the auto industry over the past few years has people feeling like boiled frogs. In a world of mandates and alternative propulsion, there are still questions to ask, like will an outfit like a small British sports car maker be able to survive without completely and utterly selling its soul, or burning past Kodak moments just to stay warm? Well, if the Lotus Theory 1 is anything to go by, the answer might not be a resounding no.
Back in 2021, Geely (the Chinese brand that owns Volvo) announced its newfound ownership of the Lotus brand, and at first, thing seemed alright. The Emira looked a right step up from the Evora in refinement and liveability, and that’s no hardship. However, things soon took a hard turn. First came an electric crossover called the Eletre, a complex, heavy beast of a car that’s done the lion’s share of rattling diehards. Remember, Lotus people aren’t Porsche people — they’re far more exacting and singular in vision. Then came word of an electric sedan and an electric hypercar, and people started to wonder whether or not Geely was simply destroying an iconic sports car brand. Well, this might give us a bit of an answer.
The first thing you need to know is the Theory 1 isn’t exactly a car, but rather Lotus’ vision of a future. Perhaps not necessarily the future, but a way of building something relatively compact and relatively light in the battery-electric age. It’s a testbed for the latest technologies in pursuit of an engineering goal, and man, if it isn’t interesting under the skin.
Let’s start with the carbon fiber tub. While a handful of automakers have played around with this construction method, a carbon tub with the battery pack as a stressed member still feels new and novel, especially in the segment Lotus is eventually aiming for. What’s more, the tub isn’t made of the typical pre-impregnated woven carbon fiber, but instead recycled chopped carbon fiber, a material that’s a little bit heavier but also quite a bit greener than we’re used to.
Speaking of materials, the Theory 1’s A-surfaces — the ones you can see — are made up of just 10 materials including all the windows and all the rubber seals. They are, as Lotus lists out, cellulose-based glass fibre, recycled chopped carbon fibre, titanium, recycled glazing, recycled polyester, recycled rubber, elastomeric Polyurethane, transparent polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyurethane, and recycled aluminum. Some of this is what you’d expect to see in a modern performance prototype, but some of it very much isn’t.
For instance, the headrests are 3D-printed to build all the regulatory support stiffness of a head restraint with some of the comfort people expect from a headrest in one piece, simply by varying the density of the mesh-like structure. Likewise, the seats consist of inflatable pods, and those pods are in place elsewhere in the cabin to essentially act as sleek physical buttons. Again, unorthodox, but it seems to follow the first part of Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s famous formula.
The result is a claimed curb weight of less than 3,528 pounds, which would make this 176-inch-long (think Porsche 911-length) electric prototype weigh less than an electric Mini Cooper SE. However, unlike that Mini, this thing sports a claimed 986 horsepower. That ought to go like shit off a shovel, yeah?
With all-wheel-drive, a 70 kWh battery pack, and that ludicrous output, Lotus is targeting zero-to-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds, an entirely reasonable top speed of 186 mph, and more intriguingly, 250 miles of range. At the same time, double-wishbone suspension at all four corners is oh-so-Lotus, while fully active dampers seem like the sort of bleeding-edge tech that Mr. Chapman would appreciate, seeing as he ushered in Formula 1’s ground effect era. Mind you, there is one potential fly in the Theory 1 ointment by the name of steer-by-wire, and while that may sound like a ghastly thing, if anyone can figure out how to tune a system like that, Lotus is right at the front of the pack. If they can’t do it, sod the entire technology, but at least give let them have a go at it.
As it stands, the Lotus Theory 1 probably won’t directly translate to a production car. Some things, like the all-polycarbonate glazing, just won’t work nicely with regulations, while others seem to be singularly focused on Esprit-tribute style rather than feasibility. However, if the next electric Lotus sports car is anything like this, fans might not have much to worry about despite the offering of an SUV and a sedan in the lineup.
(Photo credits: Lotus)
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No no! This is good!
When Lotus cars are doing poorly, it forces Lotus Engineering to have to tout around for business, and that’s how we get cars like the Ford Cortina Lotus, or the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton.
Dunno, I think electric Elise (they could just call it Elise, woo!) would make much more sense. Heck halve the battery, try to make it close to 1000kg, RWD and manual steering. Would be a thing for the petrosexual future. Even sans petrol.
So, the original Tesla Roadster? It was a little heavier at 1300kg, but basically what you’re describing. It even had manual steering with a 53kWh pack.
The batteries available today are almost twice as dense regarding energy storage per kg, than the batteries that went into the OG Roadster. The OG Roadster’s aerodynamics were also kind of crap.
The OG Roadster had a 53 kWh pack. Use modern batteries, cut the pack size to 40 kWh, and put the resized pack and a Model 3 Performance drive system into a small vehicle with a CdA value of a VW XL1, and now you’ve got your sub-Miata-weight EV sports car with a 250+ mile real world range that on a track could play with hypercars costing 10-20x as much.
The car I’m describing, if produced in volume, could today be done for under $30k.
Lotus were experimenting with electric Elise’s from right back in the late 1990’s. See the “Zytek Lotus Elise”.
986 horsepower?
Lotus has sold its soul.
Not sold on it. But then again I’m a lotus dreamer not an actual customer so they probably don’t care.
It’s good in theory, but it sucks in practice. End of review.
Complicate and Add Margin
Steer-by-wire negates anything and everything for any vehicle that has a physical connection to the road.
Steer by wire should not be a thing.
What Lotus should be paying attention to is producing cars, not dreaming up showpieces that will forever remain one-offs.
Give us an OG Elite — maybe in carbon fiber to amp up the coolness and a Seven for those who can’t step up to the big-dollar stuff.
I’d say original Elan, too, except Mazda has that one pretty much aced.
It’s cool to see, but this is a far cry from their core competency: accessible sportscars with a ~10:1 weight (lb) to hp ratio.
A Lotus with a name that doesn’t begin with ‘E’!? What is the world coming to?
I know a guy with a 2-Eleven. That name doesn’t even start with a letter.
There was also a 3-Eleven and a 340R, so that’s a quarter of all Lotuseses from the last 30 years without an E-name.
3500 pounds is certainly light for something with 1000hp, but this still doesn’t feel like a Lotus. It’s going to be a car priced deep into the six digits, if not seven, it’ll be garage art, not a drivers car. Yes weight was shaved where it could be, but this is 27 inches longer than an S2 Elise, 22 inches longer than a Miata, 6 inches longer than an Evora, I could go on.
We don’t want another unobtanium hypercar, give us a competitor to the Caterham Project V concept. 900 pounds lighter, same range, and likely a decimal place cheaper. That’s something I’d buy and care about, not this.
“The 986-Horsepower Lotus Theory 1 Is Trying To Prove Lotus Hasn’t Sold Its Soul”
Would be nice, but at this point its only a Theory
Eh, it’s only a model.
Honestly I am not loving it. It looks like it was designed by the same 12 year old who drew the cybertruck when viewed in profile, and the rest is just too over the top. Inflatable pods? 3d printing headrests that look and likely feel very uncomfortable. I like the idea of where they’re going here, but 1k hp is just not what I want from a sports car. Cut out the AWD, dropping the front motor(s), shrink the rear motor to something producing more like 500hp tops, which it might already be, but that would drop a couple hundred lbs, then let’s talk.
I think the 3d printed headrest is for helmet support, like a racing seat, not comfort.
That’s a good point. 1000hp in something like this is a track car, not a sports car. Ok then it’s more understandable, but still not something I have any interest in. Give me an electric Elise, then I will get excited.
they uhhh… already made that boss.
Touche. Do it again
Zytek did it in 1996, It weighed under 2,000 lbs and got a 100 mile range, using batteries 1/4 as energy dense as today’s offerings, and its aerodynamics were utter crap just the same as its gasoline counterpart.
A streamliner inspired by the OG 1950s Elite has the potential to be a sub-2,000 lb affordable Miata competitor, except all-electric with 300+ horsepower and 250+ miles range.
A 3,500 pound EV sports car with nearly 1,000 horsepower?
…they may not get Toecutter’s attention, but they certainly have mine.
I’d be more interested in a sub 2,000 lb electric streamliner with 300+ horsepower.
HOLY CRAP!!! I thought lotus went of the deep end and then THIS!!!