Lotus wins UK grant to develop EV platform

LONDON — Lotus has gained a British authorities grant to enable fund growth of a new electric powered car or truck architecture.

Lotus, the vast majority owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, said the money would be used to enable build a system named LEVA, for Lightweight Electric Motor vehicle Architecture.

Developments arising from the system could locate their way to foreseeable future battery electric powered automobiles, the automaker said in a news launch.

The money for Lotus came from the British government’s Superior Route to Market place Demonstrator fund, which pledged ten million lbs . ($12.9 million) in June to stimulate providers to kick-start R&D function adhering to the coronavirus lockdowns earlier this year. 

The money will be shared between 12 tasks, such as the 1 led by Lotus.

Lotus did not disclose the total it gained, but the Uk government’s Superior Propulsion Middle, which administered the fund, said successful candidates would acquire 500,000 to one million lbs . ($649,000 to $one.three million) just about every.

Lotus will build the system around the system of the subsequent year with aluminum die-solid expert Sarginsons Industries and academics from Brunel University. A person of the award problems is that Lotus need to exhibit a physical demonstrator in autumn 2021.

Lotus is at this time creating a $two million electric powered hypercar named the Evija, element of a system to revive the money-losing sporting activities-motor vehicle brand name by its new homeowners, Geely, which acquired Lotus from Malaysia’s Proton in 2017.

Lotus is in search of to pivot from a reduced-quantity maker of market combustion-motor sporting activities cars to become a British rival to Porsche.

In an job interview last year, CEO Phil Popham instructed Automotive News Europe that he wishes to elevate annual quantity from all around one,700 annually to much more than ten,000. Popham said he was wanting to develop the variety to maybe consist of front-motor sporting activities cars, sporting activities sedans and SUVs.

Deliveries of the Evija ended up due to start afterwards this year, but will start off in the very first 50 percent of 2021 immediately after the system was delayed by the coronavirus, Autocar documented in August.