Nearly seven years after announcing its plan to build an all-electric SUV, British carmaker Lotus has finally revealed the Eletre. The company calls this the “world’s first electric hyper-SUV,” and I’m inclined to believe that statement, as the Eletre looks like a sports car in both its design and specifications.
Built on Lotus’ Electric Premium Architecture platform, the Eletre can sprint from 0 to 100kmph (62mph) in under three seconds. That puts it in the famous “Two Second Club,” which is a big selling point for smaller EVs like the Tesla Model S Plaid. (The way carmakers test this stuff is a bit questionable, but it’s impressive nonetheless.)
It also features an all-wheel drive, a 100kWh+ battery, and 600 horsepower with two motors powering each axle. Lotus even included 350kW charging support in the Eletre, which should deliver 248 miles of range in just 20 minutes. Notably, the electric SUV has a maximum range of 373 miles, which is more than rival SUVs like the BMW iX.
If those specs aren’t enough, the Eletre’ design clearly echos Lotus’ Evija hypercar. It’s sleek and aggressive, with toothy grille, sharp curves in the doors, and roof accents that peek out over the back window. The yellow paint job that Lotus features in its marketing only accentuates these features.
Naturally, the Eletre is jam-packed with assistive driving features. There’s adaptive cruise control, lane-change assist, and even child detection. Lotus even touts “end-to-end autonomous driving technology,” which seems to be a fancy way of saying “self-parking technology.”
Lotus will manufacture the Eletre near its global headquarters in Wuhan, China. The company plans to open reservations for the car with deliveries starting in 2023. The Eletre costs at least $100,000 and will first arrive in China, Europe, and the UK. Lotus has not discussed a US release.
Source: Lotus