Don’t worry, we also expected something different than what the Lotus Theory 1 is.
Last week we got wind of the fact that Lotus is up to something. You can say a lot about the British-Chinese brand, but they certainly know how to surprise. Instead of countless Elise derivatives, the brand recently came up with a 2,000 hp EV hypercar, a large SUV and a sedan. Based on that, a new upcoming project could really be anything. It is therefore not exactly what we expected, although it is difficult to describe what we thought it was.
Lotus Theory 1
It is the Lotus Theory 1 anyway and to start with: it is a concept. It comes with a press release that you should not read before you have had your morning coffee (ask me how I know). For example, Lotus believes that the car has a real ‘DNA’: Digital, Natural, Analogue. And for the sake of convenience we forget that ‘digital’ and ‘analogue’ are diametrically opposed.
Digital
That digital is not a lie, however. Lotus is making a big fuss about ‘LOTUSWEAR’. That is a system that should personalize the experience of the car for every occupant of the car. In this way, the driver gets a feeling of how to drive the car based on digital aids. Every other occupant gets the feeling of the car in sound thanks to a special speaker system. Sounds, eh, exciting.
So we think it would be wise to stick to the basics for a moment. The Lotus Theory 1 is a two-door sports car. Just like the McLaren F1 and its ‘successors’ McLaren Speedtail and GMA T.50, the Theory 1 has one seat in the middle and two seats flanking this seat.
Electric
Of course, the Lotus Theory 1 is fully electric. If it becomes a production model, it will have a 70 kWh battery pack, a 0-100 time of 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h. Oh yeah, and 1,000 hp. Half of the Evija, so that’s nothing. Welcome to the modern world.
‘Lightweight’
Once upon a time, Lotus was all about light weight. The Lotus Theory 1 seems to be trying to simplify things a bit in terms of structure and thus become a bit lighter. Compared to most EVs, it succeeds, but still, the Theory 1 can’t put less than 1,600 kg on the scales. That’s almost twice the weight of an original Elise. One last fun fact: Lotus says they got their inspiration from the Type 49 Formula 1 car. The e-motor and battery pack are built in such a way that they are a load-bearing part of the chassis, so the Theory 1 has no subframe.
As mentioned, you shouldn’t expect the Lotus Theory 1 with an energy label in the Lotus dealer next year. However, the idea of the Theory 1 and the innovations will find their way to road cars. We’ll see.
