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Lotus Evora Hybrid waiting on UK government funds

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Government/Legal, Lotus, UK, Electric

Lotus Evora 414E - Click above for high-res image gallery

How many prototypes Lotus builds of the Evora 414E will depend on whether it gets money from the British government's Technology Strategy Board. The TSB funds and supports forays into a broad range of initiatives, including working with Peugeot on fuel cells and Ford on electric vehicles. Lotus, in partnership with three other companies, created the 47-horsepower range-extending engine in the Evora 414E as part of a winning project for the TSB's Limo-Green initiative.

Reports indicate that Lotus awaits a £23 million ($35.5M U.S.) disbursement for that project and another, part of which will go to fund development of the 407-horsepower concept car. If it gets the money it will be able to build two cars, otherwise there will only be one. That's good because this sounds more like a matter of timeline and not a risk to the project itself - the possibilities of Lotus adding its expertise to the pool of electric-car engineering is too good to let die.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid

[Source: Autocar]

Lotus Evora Hybrid waiting on UK government funds originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: C/D takes the Lotus Evora Hybrid for a virtual spin

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Technology, Videos, Lotus

The manufactured sounds of the Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid - Click above to watch video after the jump

Two years ago, we wrote about Lotus' Safe and Sound hybrid technology which added a V8 soundtrack over the quietude of a hybrid's electric motor. That demonstrator was a Toyota Prius, but at the Geneva Motor Show Lotus had an Evora 414E Hybrid equipped with several versions of aural enjoyment: a V6, a V12 and a non-ICE audio stab at what an electric car could maybe possibly sound like. Think Buck Rogers. Car and Driver magazine's technical editor Michael Austin sat with a Lotus engineer and tried it out. Follow the jump for the first strains of the future.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid

[Source: Car and Driver]

Continue reading Video: C/D takes the Lotus Evora Hybrid for a virtual spin

Video: C/D takes the Lotus Evora Hybrid for a virtual spin originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept mixes old and new

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Lotus, Electric

Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

We got sneak peek of the first ever Lotus Hybrid a couple of days ago, and now we've seen the Evora 414E Hybrid in the metallic flesh. Just a slight refresher on the technology, the 414E makes 408 horsepower and a skull-popping 590 pound-feet of torque via electricity.

That's right, this is not your Prius-style hybrid. Like Chevy's Volt, the Evora 414E is an extended-range electric vehicle. Meaning that it runs on batteries (for up to 35 miles) before a 47-hp three-cylinder engine kicks on to provide power. Also, instead of one electric motor, the 414E has two. One for each rear wheel. And since most of the time the car will be running off lithium-ion batteries, Lotus is employing HALOsonic Internal and External Electronic Sound Synthesis systems to make the 414E sound like a "real" car.

On the outside, the 414E looks like your "standard" Evora, except that this here show car is covered in faux-electric circuitry. Plus it's painted in a gorgeous shade of matte copper. The real story though, is inside. Talk about Black and Gold! Even if the Evora 414E Hybrid never makes it to production (we hearing it will in two to three years) we hope they offer those seats as an option. Yes, we're odd people. Deal with it.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid

Geneva 2010: Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept mixes old and new originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva Preview: Lotus formally introduces Evora 414E Hybrid

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:25:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Lotus, Electric

Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid teaser - Click above to enlarge

Lotus has just formally introduced a new 400-plus horsepower sportscar concept. That news in and of itself would be enough to pique our interest, but the rest of the car's spec sheet makes the Evora 414E Hybrid an astonishingly intriguing concept vehicle. As you surely surmised by now, this two-seat sportster is a hybrid, specifically an extended-range electric vehicle that features a pair of rear-mounted electric motors and a 1.2-liter three-cylinder gas-powered engine. Why not fully electric? According to Lotus:

With regard to the total lifetime CO2 emissions of the vehicle, including the energy required to manufacture and run it, the range extender solution has a lower overall CO2 footprint than a fully electric car of comparable performance and operating range running with a larger battery.

That 47-horsepower gasoline engine never actually sends power directly to the Evora 414E Hybrid's wheels. Instead - as with other cars such as the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the Fisker Karma - the mill is used to recharge the onboard 17 kilowatt-hour lithium polymer battery pack, which is centrally mounted down the middle of the car for optimal weight distribution. That battery pack can provide up to 35 miles of gasoline-free driving per full charge.

Because each rear wheel has a separate connection to its own electric motor, Lotus has programmed in torque vectoring for stability control of the vehicle. This means that a complex set of software algorithms can provide the same kind of benefits as rear-wheel steering and exaggerated toe-in without the expense or efficiency losses of a mechanical system. Each rear wheel puts down 204 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.

Further, though the actual transmission has only one forward ratio, Lotus has programmed in seven artificial "gears" that the driver can row through via a set of column-mounted paddle shifters. Also included is the HALOsonic Internal and External Electronic Sound Synthesis technologies from Lotus and Harman International that pipes artificial sound to both the cabin and outside to pedestrians. Want more? There's plenty to be gleaned in the exhaustive press release that you'll find after the break. Sadly, just one lone copper-topped teaser image, which you can enlarge by clicking above.

[Source: Lotus]

Continue reading Geneva Preview: Lotus formally introduces Evora 414E Hybrid

Geneva Preview: Lotus formally introduces Evora 414E Hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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