Bitauto Original Generally speaking, electric vehicles are more expensive than fuel vehicles of the same level. This is a common feeling among everyone. But when Porsche launched the million-dollar electric Tcycan, no one said it was expensive because the brand was worth the price. But when Lotus, which has even more supercar genes, also launched the pure electric SUV ELETRE priced at one million yuan, the comments were divided. Some people said, "Does Lotus really think of itself as a Porsche?" Others retorted, "Why can't Lotus be as good as Porsche?"
So before talking about Lotus ELETRE, I think it is necessary to mention the Lotus brand first so that ordinary consumers can have the most basic understanding of it.
The brand transformation from Evija to ELETRE Lotus
Those who know the Lotus brand in China must be senior car fans, but more people may not even have heard of it or think it is just a small manufacturer brand.
In fact, historically Lotus is a world-famous luxury sports car and racing brand along with Ferrari and Porsche. It was born in the UK in 1948. It focuses on manufacturing sports cars with extreme lightweight and pure driving pleasure. It has won F1 7 times. Manufacturer's annual championship, F1 driver's championship 6 times, F1 race championship 81 times, Le Mans Grand Prix group championship 9 times...
If you watch "Pretty Woman" starring Julia Roberts, or the earlier "007: The City Under the Sea", and see the Lotus sports car in it, you will probably be able to understand it. Brand status.
△Picture: 1989 silver Lotus Esprit S in the film "Pretty Woman"
△Picture: Bond's classic car Lotus Esprit S1 (1977) in "007: The Spydermen"
However, Lotus did not leave many works in the civilian car market, which also led to its not being very prominent among ordinary consumer groups. After being acquired by Geely in 2017, Lotus officially ushered in its transformation. In its Vision80 revival plan disclosed in 2018, it clearly expressed its determination to become electrified and intelligent. The Lotus Emira released in 2021 has also become its last car. fuel swan song.
Lotus’ first pure electric supercar, the Evija, was launched in 2019. However, the price of the Evija is as high as 21.88 million yuan, which does not help much in promoting Lotus’s market share and brand awareness. This car The global limited edition is only 130 units, and there is only a quota of 5 units in China, but this does not prevent everyone from re-understanding the determination of the transformation of Lotus, a high-end brand.
There is no doubt about the performance of Evija. It is equipped withIt has a pure electric four-drive system composed of dual motors, with a maximum power of 2000bhp and a maximum torque of 1700 Nm. It can accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than 3 seconds and accelerate from 0-300km/h in less than 9 seconds.
Evija is also the world's lightest mass-produced pure electric supercar, using an ultra-light carbon fiber monocoque structure and weighing only 1,680kg. In terms of battery life, it is equipped with a 70kWh battery pack, with a cruising range of 400km under WLTP conditions and 129km in track mode. It only takes 18 minutes to charge from 0% to 100% in a 350kW DC charging environment.
ELETRE, the cheapest model in Lotus history
If Evija’s high-profile appearance is the first step for Lotus to establish its image in the transformation, then the second step is Lotus’s first pure electric SUV model, ELETRE, which is stunning. Another milestone in Si's brand transformation.
ELETRE comes from the Hungarian word "rebirth". Just like the name of this conference, "Everything is reborn", ELETRE was born from the EPA architecture independently developed by Lotus, and the EPA architecture will also open up the road for Lotus. The prelude to the layout of high-end pure electricity.
EPA Edge Evolution Architecture is the cornerstone for Lotus to build a matrix of high-end lifestyle electric performance models. It can adapt to the battery, motor, software layout and track-level intelligent driving technology of C+ to E+ class models.
Although the ELETRE sells for 828,000-1.058 million yuan, which is more than one million yuan, it is still the lowest-priced model in the history of the Lotus brand, which is enough to illustrate the high-end brand tone of Lotus.
Lotus ELETRE is positioned as a high-performance luxury SUV, a bit like the Porsche Cayenne and Lamborghini Urus, but it is a pure electric car equipped with front and rear dual motors. The only electric SUVs on the market that can reach this price range are Tesla Model X, Polestar 3 and BMW iX.
As for whether the Lotus ELETRE is a supercar worth buying or a tool for cutting high-end leeks, brand power is not the only criterion. The product itself should be the focus.
Let's take a look at the configuration of Lotus ELETRE first: 2 Qualcomm 8155 chips, 2 NVIDIA Orin-X chips, 4 LiDARs, the hardware meets L4 autonomous driving capabilities; 0-100 acceleration 2.95S, 800V high-voltage architecture is fast It only takes 20 minutes to charge, and the cockpit is equipped with the British treasure-level audio brand KEF with a standard power of 1380W. Only Lotus ELETRE has such a configuration.
withAt the same time, the new car also provides a 5-year or 150,000-kilometer vehicle warranty, an 8-year or 200,000-kilometer three-electric warranty, free maintenance within 5 years, and free door-to-door pick-up/delivery services with unlimited mileage and unlimited times.
The ultimate aerodynamic design engraved in the bones
From the appearance point of view, Lotus ELETRE also adopts a very supercar-like design style. Extreme aerodynamics has always been one of the DNAs engraved in Lotus’s bones. Although ELETRE is a pure electric vehicle, it is not Air intake and cooling are required, but the car retains this feature.
The Lotus ELETRE has many aerodynamic design elements similar to those of the Evija and Emira bodies. Lotus calls them "Race-Aero air ducts".
The entire ELETRE series is equipped with 7 sets of Race-Aero air ducts. The hexagonal active air intake grille under the front apron can be kept closed when the vehicle is stationary or driving to reduce air resistance. When the motor, battery and brakes need to be cooled, the active air intake grille opens to let air in.
Viewed from the side, the sunken roof extends to the rear, giving the vehicle a slip-back visual effect. The body posture that leans forward and tilts back is more like a sports car. In terms of details, aerodynamic kits such as an electric black rear wing, hidden door handles, and vents on the front and rear wheel arches further enhance the sportiness of the vehicle and allow the vehicle to generate up to 112.5kg of downforce at high speeds.
In terms of body size, the length, width and height of the new car are 5103mm×2019mm×1636mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 3019mm, which meets the standards of medium and large SUVs. The matching 22-inch two-color wheels are just right in size and are equipped with red opposed six-piston calipers. The body details are also integrated into carbon fiber panel decoration, and it is full of hard-core equipment.
At the rear of the car, Lotus ELETRE also designed a split carbon fiber roof spoiler to guide the airflow to the active tailgate spoiler at the rear of the car. According to different driving conditions, the active tailgate spoiler provides three opening and closing angles, which can generate up to 90kg of net downforce.
The through-type taillight can display four colors. In addition to serving as a width indicator, turn signal and providing a sense of ceremony when unlocking the vehicle, the through-type taillight can also display the charging status of the power battery, bringing a more sense of technological interaction. .
On the whole, no part of Lotus ELETRE’s exterior design is superfluous. A large amount of aerodynamic design can reduce wind resistance. All black components of the car body are made of carbon fiber materials to reduce the weight of the car body. Hyper Aero kits such as active air intake grille, active rear wing, 22-inch wheels and front 6-piston calipers, etc. Ultimate performance and aestheticsThe feeling is that the temperament of a pure electric super-running SUV can be seen at a glance. Compared with its appearance, there should be few cars that can beat it.
The interior cockpit highlights luxury technology
If the cockpit of Lamborghini Urus shows the ultimate sense of luxury, then the cockpit of Lotus ELETRE gives people the feeling of ultimate technology. Although the car adopts a simple cockpit layout common in new energy vehicles, the five digital screens surrounding the cockpit can tell people that it is different at a glance.
The five screens include: a 12.6-inch instrument screen, a 12.6-inch passenger entertainment screen, a 15.1-inch foldable central control screen (it will automatically fold flat when there is no need to observe the central control screen), A 9-inch rear car control screen, and a 29-inch AR for the main driver HUD display (the actual model also has a streaming screen on the inside of the left and right front doors instead of the traditional exterior mirrors, which should be canceled in China). This is a solution that has never been seen in the current era of homogeneous design, and it is very novel.
In terms of interaction, Lotus ELETRE not only weakens the presence of the dashboard, but also simplifies the function buttons. Instead, it mainly relies on voice control, image recognition, and central control screen control. This is also highly consistent with the current demand for new energy vehicles. Digitalization and intelligence needs.
The center console also has a through-type light strip. In addition to being used as an ambient light, this light strip can also provide light interaction by changing color and light effects, such as incoming call reminders, temperature adjustment, and display of battery charging status. .
In addition to the highly technological cockpit design, ELETRE’s interior weight reduction and application of sustainable materials are also a highlight. Areas of the interior that are often in contact with the human body are mainly made of soft and durable synthetic microfibers, which are more comfortable to the touch.
Carbon fiber is used as the hard material of the cockpit, but Lotus did not use woven carbon cloth. Instead, it recycled the corner scraps that were cut off during the carbon cloth manufacturing process, mixed them with resin and pressurized them. Post-forming, the recycled material trim is produced.
The seats are made of wool blended fabric, which is 50% lighter than leather material and provides a better riding experience.
In terms of car and machine, ELETRE is equipped with two Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chips and comes standard with Lotus Hyper OS, the next-generation cockpit operating system based on UNREAL 3D Unreal Engine, which supports multi-dimensional interaction and real-time linkage of 5 screens in the car. Car OTA, WiFi hotspot, voice recognition control, remote control and other functions.
In addition, ELETRE is also equipped with a PDLC smart panoramic canopy as standard, which can be freely adjusted in 10 levels between normal light transmission and white fog.section, the environment is more transparent, and it can also provide sun protection and heat insulation, with an ultraviolet isolation rate of up to 99%.
It can be said that Lotus ELETRE has some advanced features of current new energy models, such as Tesla’s canopy glass, AITO M5’s light interaction, HiPhi Z’s front and rear rotating central control screen, etc. These are not new to new car-making forces, but for a traditional fuel-powered luxury brand like Lotus, they are definitely groundbreaking attempts.
At the same time, ELETRE is also the first mass-produced SUV model with the British treasure-level audio brand KEF as standard equipment. The KEF Premium audio system it is equipped with includes 15 speakers and an output power of 1380W. The KEF Reference sound system is also optional for advanced models, equipped with 23 speakers, with an output power of 2160W, the same as the ideal L9, and uses Uni-Q and surround sound technology to combine the traditional layout of tweeters and mid-range speakers into an acoustic unit, providing a more consistent and realistic acoustic experience.
In the era of intelligence, “TOPS is the new horsepower”
As a supercar-level pure electric SUV in the new era, it is inevitable to use new technology to add buffs. The Buff of Lotus ELETRE is reflected in its assisted driving capabilities. Although currently restricted by regulations, it only supports L2 level assisted driving, its hardware performance has directly reached L4 level.
For example, the cost of laser radar is 4. Four 128-line lidars are arranged at the front end of the roof, the rear end of the roof, and the left and right fenders. In order to effectively reduce wind resistance when the automatic driving function is not used, the four lidars are designed to be hidden.
In addition, there are 7 8-megapixel cameras, 1 DMS/OMS camera, 2 surround-view cameras, and 2 4D millimeter-wave radars, with a maximum detection range of 200m at 10% reflectivity.
On the other hand, the era of smart cars is a new era of competition for computing power. The smart cars released in the past two years have been crazy about high-computing cockpit SoCs and high-computing smart driving platforms. But this time most of them couldn't get past the Lotus ELETRE. Because it is equipped with two NVIDIA Orin-X assisted driving chips, the computing power is as high as 508TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second).
Referring to the current data of other mass-produced cars, Xpeng P5 has a computing power of 30TOPS, Jikrypton 001 has a computing power of 48TOPS, Tesla Model 3 has a computing power of 144TOPS, Jidu ROBO-01 has a computing power of 254TOPS, and Jihu Alpha S/Avi Tower 11 has a computing power of 400TOPS, ideal L9 has a computing power of 508TOPS, and NIO ET7 has a computing power of 1016TOPS. Lotus ELETRE is already at a very leading level.
Although computing power does not determine the level of "autonomous driving assistance" at present, it competes with the level of "autonomous driving assistance" in the next few years. Who can guarantee that you will change your car after driving it for a few years? The Lotus ELETRE can theoretically support at least L4 autonomous driving.
Supercar SUVs must not only be fast but also stable
In terms of power, as a supercar SUV, outstanding acceleration from 100 kilometers is a basic skill. The sports version (S+) and track version (R+) provided by ELETRE in mainland China have higher configurations than the overseas version. ELETRE sports version (S+) and track version (R+) are equipped with front and rear permanent magnet synchronous dual motors and a full 800V high-voltage architecture.
Among them, the sports version can output a peak power of 450kW, a peak torque of 710N·m, and the fastest acceleration from zero to zero is 4.5 seconds; the track version can output a peak power of 675kW, a peak torque of 985N·m, and is equipped with a rear electric drive The 2-speed gearbox achieves the fastest acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers in 2.95 seconds, making it the fastest mass-produced dual-motor pure electric SUV in the world.
For comparison, the dual-motor version of the Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 model accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in 4.3 seconds; the highest performance version of BMW iX, M60, accelerates from 0 to 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds; the HiPhi The Model Judging from this, the Lotus ELETRE, which can run within 3 seconds in terms of performance, definitely lives up to its reputation as a million-dollar super-running SUV.
In terms of battery life, the new ELETRE car is equipped with a lithium battery pack with a capacity of 100kWh, with a maximum battery life of 600km. It is basically at the same level as Tesla Model X, Polestar 3 and BMW iX, and is at the upper-middle level in the market.
But ELETRE has the same 800V high-voltage platform as the Porsche Taycan. With the support of a 420kW supercharger, it can charge from 10% to 80% in as fast as 20 minutes (0.33 hours), while Polestar 3 takes 0.5 hours. , the BMW iX takes 0.86 hours, the Model X takes 1 hour, and the Taycan takes 1.55 hours. From this point of view, Lotus ELETRE’s energy replenishment speed is the well-deserved first place.
In terms of chassis, ELETRE adopts front and rear five-link independent suspension, comes standard with Lotus Intelligent Dynamic Control System, is equipped with CDC continuously variable damping air suspension, rear-wheel steering, electronic anti-roll bars and torque control, and has Including Range, Tour, Sport, Off-Road and Individual4 driving modes.
In terms of braking, it comes standard with a 6-piston braking system, matched with Dual-cast (dual-material) composite brake discs, to achieve better braking linearity and give the brakes a "better feel". In short, it takes into account all the comfort, functionality and control you can think of.
It is worth mentioning that the ELETRE Track Edition (R+) can also unlock the Track exclusive track driving mode. Track’s exclusive track driving mode is based on ELETRE’s performance testing and adjustment at the Nürburgring, the “mecca of racing”. It can provide suspension settings with higher spring stiffness and damping, sharper dampers, strengthened stabilizer bars and minimal The unique roll angle, ejection control, optimized stability control, the largest normally open active air intake grille and variable traction control, etc., can start the driving passion like competing on the "New York Circuit" with one click.
In addition, the ELETRE track version (R+) will further pursue ultimate performance and aerodynamics, providing R+ exclusive carbon fiber packages and SMC hoods and other track-level configurations.
Of course, Lotus also provides Chinese users with a variety of optional options, such as: interior and exterior carbon fiber packages, 23-inch five-spoke gray/black wheels with carbon fiber blades, interior semi-aniline leather upgrade package, road Tes 10-piston carbon-ceramic composite braking system, etc., to meet higher-level personalized customization needs and create a unique and exclusive car.
Editor’s summary: In fact, what Lotus ELETRE lacks is not strength, but a mass base. There are not many SUV options with track performance on the market, and even fewer can provide the unique driving experience of pure electric supercar SUVs. If you want to be in When choosing between Model X, BMW iX, Polestar3 and ELETRE, I might prefer the latter. ELETRE is called a pure electric Hyper SUV by Lotus, a super sports car among SUVs. I believe it can still give us a sports car-like driving experience. Finally, the people who buy this car are probably the same as the people who buy Lamborghini Urus. The last thing they care about is the price. They are the kind of people who must buy it if they see it right.
Finally, according to Bitauto App data, Lotus ELETRE ranks 46th in the new energy popularity rankings. For more information, you can check out Bitauto App.
(Some pictures in the article are from the Internet)