Tag Archives: #EV

Lotus Builds Its Final Elise, Exige and Evora Models

The final Lotus Elise, a Elise Sport 240 Final Edition, is one of 35,124 built over 26 years.

Lotus built its last the last Elise, Exige and Evora sports cars today in Hethel, Norfolk, U.K. The end of production for the three sports cars comes as Lotus readies its assembly lines for the upcoming Emira, which is expected to roll off assembly lines in the spring.

“We will miss them, but a bit like Christmas, once it’s over, the excitement for the next one starts to build,” said Russell Carr, design director, Lotus Cars, in a statement. “And that’s what’s happening now at Lotus with the Evija, Emira and forthcoming Type 132. 2022 is going to be a great year as a new Lotus generation swings into action.”

End of an era

During the cars’ 26-year run, 51,738 cars were built. Combined, they represent almost half of the total production of the 73-year history of Lotus. From 1996 to 2000, the first-generation Elise and Exige sports cars were built alongside the Lotus Esprit. But the company revamped its assembly operations when the Spirit ended production. Now, the current assembly lines will be dismantled and revamped, allowing for an addition 5,000 units of capacity.

A Lotus Exige Cup 430 Final Edition, the last of 10,497 units.

The final cars will be a yellow Elise Sport 240 Final Edition, the last of 35,124 cars; a Heritage Racing Green Exige Cup 430 Final Edition, the last of 10,497; and a Dark Metallic Grey Evora GT430 Sport, the last of 6,117 built.

The Evora is the only Lotus model currently sold in the United States, with a base price of $99,150. Its supercharged Toyota 3.5-liter V-6 makes 416 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque with the 6-speed manual transmission, or 332 lb-ft with the 6-speed automatic. 

The final models of the Elise, Exige and Evora models will not be sold. They will be placed in Lotus’ heritage collection. 

“(C)ustomers have given our ‘three Es’ true cult status — usually reserved for long-out-of-production classics,” said Matt Windle, managing director, Lotus Cars. “As we say farewell to the last few cars, we look forward to the Emira and Evija.”

The 6,117th Lotus Evora is an Evora GT430 Sport.

The end of production coincides with the recent death of Hazel Chapman, wife of Lotus co-founder Colin Chapman.

What’s ahead for Lotus

The three models are being replaced by the all-new Emira, its name derived from ancient languages meaning “commander” or “leader.” The car will be Lotus’ last gasoline-powered sports car, with a design inspired by the Evija. All future models are promised to be 100% electric powered. Like previous Lotus models, the Emira will employ lightweight construction and massive horsepower, with a bonded aluminum chassis that’s strong, yet lightweight.

It will house one of two engines, the first being an AMG-tuned turbocharged 4-cylinder mated to a dual-clutch gearbox that sends 360 hp to the rear wheels. The other is a supercharged Toyota V-6 with either an automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. The AMG engine will not be offered with a manual.

The Evija will hit 186 mph more than 3 seconds faster than the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport.

The company is also planning to release the Evija, a new hypercar and its first electric model. Punching out nearly 2,000 hp through all four wheels, it promises a 0-186 mph time of 9 seconds, making it the quickest vehicle on the road. But expect to pay $2 million for the privilege.

But that’s just the start of a line of new Lotus EVs that will include the Type 132 electric crossover, recently teased at the 2021 Gangzhou Auto Show as well as on YouTube. It’s also slated to be released in the Spring. The company is also planning to release the Type 131, the first of Lotus’s three new electric sports cars.

Group Lotus is owned by Chinese automaker Geely, which bought the British automaker in 2017, and Etika Automotive, a Malaysian conglomerate, which owns the remaining 49 percent. 

Tough Internal Combustion Engine Ban Sought

Environmental activists are calling on the Biden administration to ban the sales of passenger cars, light-duty trucks and SUVs equipped with gasoline engines by 2030. The State of California, the nation’s largest market for new vehicles, is calling for a ban the sale of new vehicles with gasoline engines by 2035. 

Call for tough federal ban

The Center for Biodiversity wants tougher regulations of auto emissions.

In an opinion piece published online by The New York Times, Daniel Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Center for Biodiversity and James Gerstenzang, the campaign’s editorial director, argued for the tougher regulations of auto emissions, noting that President Joe Biden could move to tighten regulations sometime this month. 

“As a first step, he should reimpose auto emission reductions for and cars, SUVs and other light trucks to 5% per year as called for under the Obama rules. Because those regulations went through the full rule-making process in 2012 and we’re reviewed in 2017, we believe we should be able to do this with a minimum of red tape,” the Becker and Gerstenzang said. 

“Then, he should instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to write rules that phase out sales of gas burning versions of vehicles by 2030. Annual emission should be raised to 7% a year through 2030,” they said. 

“These steps, which could take at least a year to make their way through the federal rule-making process and would guarantee the transition to electric vehicles so that cars and trucks are virtually emission free by 2050,” they added. 

California rules are not tough enough

California Governor Gavin Newsom.

They went on to say that the current rules that apply in California, to which automakers such as Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Honda and Volvo have agreed, don’t go far enough to protect the environment. Those rules include an executive order issued in September 2020 by California Governor Gavin Newsom, calls on California’s state agencies to build a plan to phase out sales of all new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. 

Other carmakers, such as General Motors, Daimler and Toyota, reluctantly signed on the California deal after the 2020 Presidential election, since Biden had vowed to withdraw a federal lawsuit launched by the Trump administration that had contested California’s authority to set the rules for automotive emissions. 

Partisan divisions hamper effort to build consensus

Bjorn Lomborg: Climate change skeptic

The opinion piece is likely to ignite a full-blown political and legal war with carmakers in the middle, coping with uncertain and volatile regulatory environment as they move through the transition to electric vehicles. At the same time, automakers such as GM want to protect profits from trucks and SUVs powered by gasoline engines. 

Conservatives have argued electric vehicles are too expensive, could stifle economic growth and don’t address the needs of ordinary Americans. Many of them are also remain skeptical about climate change. Bjorn Lomborg, Danish political scientist and statistician, has gained renown for his critique of mainstream theories of ecological crisis. 

The threat of climate change has become more apparent, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, which has long been an advocated for tighter emission controls. “People around the country are already experiencing record-breaking drought, deadly heat waves, unusually early tropical storms with the prospect of an above-normal hurricane season, extreme flooding, and major wildfires with a dire forecast of an intense wildfire year in Western states,” the organization noted in appeal to activists this week. 

“All these extremes are part of a ‘sobering’ trend — we keep surpassing records year after year, with 2020 tied for the hottest year on record, it said. “The climate crisis is here and we cannot wait,” the organization added. 

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition
Car & Driver’s first “Electric Car of the Year: the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

At the same time, the auto industry has moved on. Since last autumn, GM and Ford have significantly increased the amount of money they are investing in EV technology. Globally, regulators in Europe and China are legislating automakers to expedite the introduction of electric vehicle technology. 

As a result, car culture in the U.S. is also beginning to shift. “Car & Driver,” a magazine that has long been considered a ‘’must-read’ for car enthusiasts, announced this week it was naming an “Electric Car of the Year.” The first award will go to the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, the magazine said.