THE new all-electric Lotus Emeya hyper-GT has completed final testing in one of the world’s harshest environments, writes David Roy.
Over the winter, Lotus’s forthcoming EV sportscar was being put through its paces in Ivalo, Finland - around 250km inside the Arctic Circle – where Lotus engineers conducted evaluation and validation work while enduring temperatures as low as minus-25C.
However, it got even colder for the new Lotus: the test car was placed in an automotive ‘freezer’ where it was forced to endure a crippling minus-40C.
This deep freezing was part of the culmination of a rigorous three year-long testing and development programme carried out by Lotus across 15 countries and two continents, utilising a variety of terrain and conditions.
The Emeya faced everything from challenging B-roads in Britain and fast-flowing German autobahns to high Alpine passes and remote Inner Mongolian roads, plus fast laps at the Nürburgring and the high-speed loop on the automotive proving ground near Nardò in southern Italy.
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Indeed, it wasn’t all Arctic conditions for the new hyper-GT EV, which also endured scorching temperatures of up to 40C in these latter environments.
“The testing process at Lotus is rigorous,” comments Sylvain Verstraeten, regional vehicle line director for the Emeya.
“It covers a comprehensive performance assessment of everything from suspension and steering through to battery and tyres.
“Emeya is the ultimate all-electric grand tourer, designed and engineered to deliver the optimum driving experience for our customers 365 days a year and in all conditions. We’re incredibly excited for customers to be able to experience Emeya for themselves.”
During the Arctic testing programme, Lotus’ engineers focused on testing the Emeya in various ways, including:
- Testing chassis systems such as suspensions, steering, brakes and traction and stability controls, to ensure stability of the vehicle in various conditions and on surfaces such as ice and snow
- Tyre testing and development of bespoke Lotus winter tyres that effectively support the handling and dynamics of the vehicle
- Assessing effectiveness of driver assistance functions, which help drivers remain in control of the vehicle in situations where road markings and traffic signs may be obscured due to external factors such as snow
- Proving the unrestricted usability of the EV battery in extreme weather for both charging and discharging, to ensure consistency and repeatability
- Testing and calibrating the air-conditioning and thermal management systems to ensure the car is as efficient and comfortable as possible in all conditions
While the Emeya has been rigorously tested to ensure it meets the necessary regulatory standards that will allow it to go on sale in various markets around the world, Lotus is also keen to ensure it delivers a vehicle that lives up to the company’s history for sports car excellence as it transitions into a new EV-focused era – a car worthy of the Lotus badge, basically.
“There are many elements of the Lotus DNA which have been carried through all our vehicles since the very first one in 1948,” explains Gavan Kershaw, director of attributes and product integrity for Lotus, who joined the company in 1988 as the age of 16.
“A Lotus should be engaging and desirable, but also safe and predictable. That doesn’t mean boring – in fact, just the opposite. Drivers need to know they can trust their car so they can maximise the dynamic performance, and with the development work that’s gone into Emeya, they really can.”
To ensure it lives up to that ‘Grand Tourer’ badging, the four-wheel-drive Emeya is equipped with many Lotus ‘advanced control’ features to help it cope with any kind of extreme weather.
Heated side cameras and mirrors prevent the drivers’ vision being impacted by condensation, snow or ice, while a 55-inch head-up display features a special ‘Snow Mode’ which turns the display blue, enhancing the outline of the road against a white background.
The Lotus App will also allow owners to set the cabin temperature to their preferred level of comfort, as well as activating its heated seats and heated steering wheel before they even set foot on their driveway.
Find out more about the Emeya at Lotuscars.com/emeya.
