Lotus invited the author to drive the Evija, and this lotus evija review reflects that drive.
Four years ago, I saw the Lotus Evija electric hypercar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. I assumed it would stay a show car: beautiful, but never driven on a real road. Lotus has since given me the keys, and I went in suspicious of my own bias against electric cars.
I do not think electric power should replace every vehicle on the road. Batteries make sense for milk floats, city streets and final-mile delivery vans. For long distances and high speeds, I still want a combustion engine that is louder and more direct.
Efficiency is another way electric cars can win over sceptics, and Audi A2 e-tron’s Efficient Design Approach shows how aerodynamics and sustainable materials can make that case.
In my experience, most electric cars share a formula: a generic body, a battery underneath and a badge that could belong to almost any brand. They drive competently and feel forgettable. The connection between driver and machine that comes with an engine rarely appears.
The lotus evija electric hypercar changed that assumption. It is the first electric car I have driven that never left me wishing for an engine, whether I judged its performance, its cabin or its looks. Lotus does not rely on synthetic sound effects. Each wheel has its own 375kW motor, and together they produce a high, rising howl, like jet fighters pushed hard in a dogfight. The bodywork looks ready to take off, yet the nose never lifted. The harder the car runs, the more firmly it presses onto the tarmac.
On the roads around Hethel, where Colin Chapman once tested the Europa and Esprit, I rode with John Farn-Ramsay, Lotus’s principal engineer for vehicle dynamics. He described a sensation I had felt before without having words for it. Engineers call it skyhook.
Skyhook and groundhook
In Tour mode, the Evija seems to float above the road, like a suspended monorail. The ride stays smooth regardless of how scarred the surface is. Skyhook is the name for this isolation from the road.
Select Sport and the car switches to groundhook. The Evija then bonds to the tarmac and reports every ripple, camber change and pothole. The ride is firmer, but it is honest. Few cars offer two driving modes this distinct.
Lotus began development on the Evija in 2019, but Covid-related delays pushed production back to 2023. The car received homologation, the approval needed for road sale, before newer safety rules made features such as speed limit warnings mandatory. The cabin remains free of the chimes and alerts that fill most modern cars.
The Evija uses digital mirrors as standard. Physical wing mirrors remain an option. The camera image is sharp, and it shows approaching traffic from the front edge of the car. That view reveals more of the space beneath neighbouring cars than most mechanics can see.
Inside the lotus evija electric hypercar
The cabin is open and uncluttered. A hexagonal cluster of haptic buttons sits in the floating centre console. A rotary dial at its base controls phone connectivity and other functions on the dash display.
The steering wheel borrows from Formula 1 and sports prototype cars. Its outer rim is Alcantara as standard, with leather as an alternative. Buttons handle phone use, cruise control and DRS deployment.
Lotus measures range in laps of the Nürburgring. Its published figure is 15 laps.
Power on track
The lotus evija electric hypercar is at its most striking on a circuit. Its electronics prevent drifting, even when the driver tries. Each tight corner draws the car tighter into the bend than seems physically possible.
On a straight, Lotus lists the output at 2,011 bhp, and that figure is difficult to absorb. The company does not quote a 0 to 60mph time. It designed the car around 0 to 186mph, which it claims takes 9.2 seconds.
If the Evija’s power figures seem almost unreal, Bentley takes a different route to big electric output. Bentley’s 888PS Electric Torcal SUV Debut offers a useful comparison.
Power does not fade at speed. Many performance cars run out of thrust as velocity climbs, but the Evija keeps pulling with the throttle held down.
I expected the car to slow itself as I lifted off the accelerator, as most EVs do. Lotus left out regenerative braking, which recovers energy during deceleration. The omission added no weight or complexity, and it feels old-fashioned for an electric car. Owners who can pay more than £2.5m for the car are unlikely to care how many miles each kilowatt-hour delivers.
To keep the mid-engined balance typical of supercars and hypercars, Lotus placed the 91kWh battery behind the seats. Only the top of the rear suspension is visible through the rear glass.
The Evija’s dry weight is 1,894kg, which breaks from Lotus’s history of light, simple cars. Even so, it drives like a machine well under 1,200kg, with the solidity of something much larger. Its carbon ceramic brakes stop hard enough that a five-point racing harness and a helmet are necessary.
Lotus also built Evija X, a one-off track derivative. It set a 6:24.047 lap of the Nordschleife, the third fastest ever recorded there and, according to Lotus, the fastest by a car on a production car platform. A special run of eight Evija Fittipaldi cars honours Emerson Fittipaldi. Full specifications are on LotusCars.com.
I arrived expecting a concept car with a plug. I left convinced that an electric car can hold a driver’s attention as firmly as an engine can. The Evija makes that case through its ride, its power and its restraint.
H/T wallpaper.com
Frequently asked questions
How much power does the Lotus Evija electric hypercar produce?
Lotus lists the Lotus Evija’s output at 2,011 bhp. Each wheel has its own 375kW motor that contributes to the total.
How fast can the Lotus Evija accelerate from 0 to 186mph?
Lotus claims the Evija takes 9.2 seconds to reach 186mph from a standstill. The company does not quote a 0 to 60mph time for the car.
What is the difference between Tour and Sport modes on the Lotus Evija?
Tour mode uses skyhook, which isolates the car from the road so it floats smoothly over rough surfaces. Sport mode switches to groundhook, which bonds the car to the tarmac, makes the ride firmer, and reports every ripple and pothole.
Does the Lotus Evija have regenerative braking?
No, Lotus left regenerative braking out of the Evija. The article describes this as an old-fashioned choice for an electric car.
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