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Supercars · Electric

Lotus Evija

Russell Carr · 2019

Lotus didn’t electrify a sports car — it built a battery-powered architecture that treats torque as the new chassis.

Worth your time?4/5Yes.Drive the whole thing.What works, what does not, who it is for ↓
9:12in productionCh. 1 · The First Electric Lotus/ 9:12 · ceiling 15 min
4 chapters · 9:12Ceiling 15:00

The brief is written and checked. The video joins this page when it is cut.4 chapters · 1 min read · 9:12 planned

Read the brief

The Lotus Evija is a limited-production, all-electric, all-wheel-drive sports car — Lotus Cars’ first EV — unveiled in July 2019. It is built by the British automaker Lotus Cars, owned by the Chinese company Geely. Production is capped at 130 units. Its base price is US$2.3 million, before options and taxes. Four wheel-mounted motors deliver 1,500 kW total power. A 93 kWh battery supplies energy. It achieves 0–100 km/h in under 3 seconds and a top speed of 349 km/h. A prototype underwent high-speed testing in November 2019. A video was released on 21 November 2019 ahead of its debut later that day at the Guangzhou Auto Show. Lotus planned thousands of miles of further road testing on European circuits and at its Hethel track. The name Evija derives from 'Eve' and means 'alive' or 'living' in Biblical Hebrew.

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Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:04
    The First Electric Lotus

    The Evija is Lotus’s first electric vehicle — and its first statement that battery power defines the supercar’s structure, not just its propulsion.

  2. 2:40
    130 Units. $2.3 Million.

    Only 130 units will be made. Each carries a $2.3 million base price — a fixed cap on both exclusivity and financial commitment.

  3. 3:38
    Testing Before Delivery

    A prototype ran at high speed in November 2019 — then debuted at Guangzhou Auto Show the same day — before thousands of miles of planned circuit and Hethel track testing.

  4. 5:36
    Alive, Not Iconic

    Evija means 'alive' — a name chosen to reflect origin, not aspiration — anchoring the car’s identity in linguistic fact, not marketing myth.

1 more chapterFewer chapters
Worth your time?

Yes. Drive the whole thing.

4/ 5
What works
  • integration of four independent motors into a lightweight, aerodynamically aggressive monocoque form
  • establishment of torque vectoring as foundational — not an add-on — to the driving experience
What does not
  • driver engagement through mechanical feedback
  • traditional transmission or engine sound
  • documented kerb weight, chassis material specification, or suspension geometry
Drive it if
  • collectors and technical evaluators who prioritise architectural novelty in electric powertrain layout
  • not for drivers seeking tactile feedback, daily usability, or verified long-term durability data
Skip it if
  • drivers seeking tactile feedback
  • daily usability
  • verified long-term durability data
Who should drive it, and who should skipHide who it is for
The written brief1 min read

What the car is and where it came from

The Lotus Evija is a limited-production, all-electric, all-wheel-drive sports car. It is Lotus Cars’ first EV. Lotus Cars is a British automaker owned by the Chinese company Geely.

How it works, in terms someone would actually use

Four wheel-mounted motors deliver power to all wheels. A 93 kWh battery stores energy. It accelerates from 0–100 km/h in under 3 seconds. Its top speed is 349 km/h.

What it gets right

It gets right the integration of four independent motors into a lightweight, aerodynamically aggressive monocoque form. It establishes torque vectoring as foundational — not an add-on — to the driving experience.

What it does not

It does not offer driver engagement through mechanical feedback. It does not use a traditional transmission or engine sound. It does not have a documented kerb weight, chassis material specification, or suspension geometry in the sources.

What it changed

It changed Lotus’s product identity from internal-combustion purity to high-voltage performance architecture. It established electric drivetrain layout as central to the brand’s future supercar definition.

Who it is for, and who it is not

It is for collectors and technical evaluators who prioritise architectural novelty in electric powertrain layout. It is not for drivers seeking tactile feedback, daily usability, or verified long-term durability data.

Is it worth your time

Yes — if you are assessing how a British sports car brand redefined its engineering language for electric propulsion. No — if you seek production validation, real-world usability or driving feedback beyond prototype testing.

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