Deliveries of the 1450kW electric hypercar have been moved back by at least five months because of the pandemic
Deliveries of the 1450kW electric hypercar have been moved back by at least five months because of the pandemic
Lotus has pushed back the launch of its Evija hypercar by a minimum of five months as a result of delays in the testing programme caused by the pandemic, Autocar can exclusively reveal.
The Evija, a near-1450kW all-electric hypercar, was set to be with the first customers by the end of this year but that will now happen towards the end of the first half of 2021. Customers have been informed of the changes in a letter sent this week.
Lotus boss Phil Popham told Automotive Daily’s exclusive partner Autocar that the Evija’s delay was caused by lockdowns, travel restrictions and the need for quarantines, meaning the firm has not been able to test its four dynamic prototypes in the variety of conditions needed.
“We have lost five months of testing, mainly in continental Europe,” he said. “We have missed hot weather testing in Spain. It’s not as simple as moving everything to the right as you have to book facilities and there’s a queue, with everyone in the same boat.”
Popham said it is still “a moving target” around where testing will take place and the firm is in “catch-up mode” but it has already invested in extra engineering resource to get the Evija ready for production. He couldn’t rule out further delays due to the evolving global situation in the Covid-19 pandemic but he said being open and honest with a five-month delay was fair and right for customers, given the fact that the firm has lost five months of testing.
However, Lotus said it has used the delay in on-the-road testing to focus on development in other areas and, to that end, had made improvements to the Evija’s aerodynamics and downforce, as well as finding that its power is actually above 1450kW rather than the 1471kW quoted at its reveal.
Of the 130 Evijas due to be built, Popham said there are 70 people the firm is in discussions with, many of those already deposit holders. A world tour to show the car to potential customers had to be postponed in March when the pandemic hit Europe and North America, but events are now being reorganised to that end.
Popham said the firm’s all-new sports car, due net year to sit alongside the Elise, Exige and Evora models, is in a different stage of development from the Evija and has not yet been affected by the pandemic as the Evija has been.
Mark Tisshaw