Lotus is back although it’s not the brand it was. Founded in 1948 by Colin Chapman, the visionary English engineer credited with technical innovations still at play in Formula One and other motorsports, Lotus cars were the embodiment of his philosophy: “Simplify, then add lightness.” Yet, ever since the brand was acquired by Chinese giant Geely in 2017 and transformed into a manufacturer of electric ‘lifestyle’ vehicles, many have wondered if the magic has been lost. To be fair, they do now make two decent EVs in the form of the Emeya saloon and the Eletre SUV, not to mention the world’s most powerful electric hypercar – the 2,000hp Evija – but none of them are anywhere near what you might call light. That is of course because electrification is heavy. As a result, Lotus designers decided to imagine an EV that Chapman could be proud of.
Here it is. The Theory 1 is a conceptual electric sportscar that tries to find a balance between lightness, power and range – as no EV can have all three. “Finding the balance of what’s right for the brand, its direction, and customers is key,” Ben Payne, Lotus' Design Vice President, tells us.
A smaller-than-expected 70kW battery pack helps, although the knock-on effect is a range of just 400 km. The good news is that it can sprint to 100 km/h in under 2.5 seconds (like a Bugatti Chiron) and has a top speed of over 325km/h. These are decent numbers and it's thanks to an emaciated curb weight of just 1,600kg using ten materials (compared to over 100 in more regular cars), including chop carbon fibre for the tub, cellulose composite and polycarbonate for the body, and recycled glass for the windows.
Climb inside via the scissor doors, which also slide backwards for improved access, and you’ll find it’s a three-seater, with the driver sitting forwards in the middle. All three seats are built into the tub (it is the pedals and steering wheel that move) with intelligent padding on top called Lotuswear. It's a collaboration with Motorskins resulting in adaptive textile-covered robotics that provide the driver with haptic feedback like hugging you through a corner or giving you a nudge to indicate road direction. With heavyweight electric vehicles the foreseeable future, the Theory 1 is a timely return to form for Lotus and its ‘lifestyle’ vehicles.
