New Lotus Emeya gets 379-mile range and up to 905bhp to battle the Porsche Taycan
The “ultimate all-electric grand tourer” from Lotus starts from £94,950, rising to £129,950 for flagship Emeya R
More details on the new Lotus Emeya all-electric four-door hyper-GT have been revealed ahead of its arrival this autumn. Britain’s answer to the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S is priced from £94,950, while the range-topping 905bhp Eletre R starts at £129,950.
Described by Lotus as the “ultimate all-electric grand tourer”, the Emeya utilises the same Electric Premium Architecture as the Lotus Eletre SUV and is similarly offered in three configurations: standard, Emeya S and Emeya R.
Every Emeya uses a 102kWh battery to power two electric motors that provide all-wheel drive and 603bhp in the base Emeya and Emeya S; enough for 0-62mph in 4.15 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. Both variants also offer a range of up to 379 miles.
The Emeya R ups the ante by adding a more powerful motor to the rear axle, increasing the combined power output to 905bhp and 985Nm of torque. As a result, the Eletre R can sprint from 0-62mph in 2.78 seconds and hit a top speed of 159mph, however it can only cover up to 301 miles on a single charge.
Its closest rival, the newly updated Porsche Taycan Turbo – priced from £134,100 – is also capable of 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds, but boasts an official range of 394 miles.
The Emeya's impressive claimed performance extends to its charging tech with recharge capability of up to 350kW for a 10 to 80 per cent recharge in 18 minutes. Lotus says the Emeya can add up to 93 miles of range in just five minutes when hooked up to a 350kW power source.
More details about equipment levels will be revealed in time, but we do know every Emeya includes electronically controlled air suspension and dampers, matrix LED headlights, a 15-speaker KEF sound system, augmented reality head-up display, 15.1-inch OLED touchscreen and separate displays for the driver and front passenger. Eletre R models also benefit from electric active anti-roll bar and rear wheel steering.
Lotus Emeya: active aerodynamics for 215kg downforce
As with the Eletre, the Emeya features many active aerodynamic devices to boost its efficiency, helped by the four-door model's relatively sleek shape and lower profile when compared with Lotus's SUV. There's a 280mm-wide active rear spoiler – 100mm wider than on the Eletre – which alone contributes more than 215kg of downforce. Lotus says that combined with the Emeya's active rear diffuser the aerodynamic package helps to deliver stable handling at high speeds.
There's an active front grille, first seen on the Eletre, and an active air 'lip' to further boost downforce. When closed, the grille helps to reduce drag and it opens when battery and/or brake cooling is required.
Another Eletre-inspired feature of the Emeya is what Lotus calls 'porosity' – a factor that will define many of the brand's designs in the future, too. This means that air flows through eight specially designed channels in the GT's body to help cool the brakes, motors and battery.
Lotus's designers have worked hard to manage the airflow over and through the car's body to strike a strong balance between aerodynamic efficiency and downforce too boost the car's high-speed performance, while low and mid-speed agility will be helped by a chassis set-up that features adaptive air suspension, with the system able to read the road ahead up to 1,000 times a second to deliver a balance of comfort and dynamism depending on driving conditions.
Lotus Emeya: interior design and ‘55-inch’ augmented reality display
There's a similar focus on sportiness and comfort when it comes to the Emeya's interior. Infotainment is similar to the Eletre, while the Emeya also features a 55-inch projected augmented reality head-up display giving info on “crucial external environment details”, according to Lotus. The tech combines real-time road information with sat-nav and driver assistance data, displaying obstacle warnings, lane departure, forward collision alerts and blind-spot monitoring.
Lotus's KEF stereo set-up with Dolby Atmos 3D surround sound also features, while the cabin is trimmed in plenty of premium-feeling materials, Lotus claims, including PVD aluminium, Alcantara, Nappa leather, and Ultrafabrics; there's also a new “luxury thread made from repurposed fibres from the fashion industry”.
“This is a Lotus like you have never seen before,” said vice president, Lotus design group, Ben Payne at the Emeya's unveiling in New York City. “We’ve built on everything Lotus has achieved so far”, he added. “We've created a luxury performance car for the drivers, designed to inspire confidence, exhilarate with raw emotion and pure joy – connecting them to the road.”
The Lotus Emeya also offers 509 litres of boot space, which Lotus says offers “everyday usability and making it the ultimate touring companion.” The Emeya comes as five-seater as standard, but a four-seat configuration is offered.
Lotus's new Emeya is part of the company's vision to become a global luxury performance and lifestyle brand by 2028 – a factor in the car's name, which still conforms to the brand's convention of models beginning with E; the brand says 'Emeya' was chosen “to embody the ambition and commitment which Lotus has for this new vehicle.” It references the acronym EMEA, which stands for Europe, Middle East and Asia, highlighting the brand's aspirations for global sales.
The Emeya is the third electric car Lotus has launched to date, following on from the Evija hypercar and the Eletre SUV. The brand’s next electric car will be a mid-size SUV that’s due to be unveiled later this year and rival the new Porsche Macan primarily. Then in 2025, Lotus will reveal its first electric sports car that we’ve learned will be priced from around £75,000.
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