World’s first all-electric hyper-SUV, the Lotus Eletre detailed in pics

Known as the Type 132 until two days ago, the Lotus Eletre finally broke covers in London. The all-new and all-electric hyper-SUV boasts a bold, progressive, and exotic appeal with iconic sports car DNA that Lotus evolved for the next-gen enthusiasts. So, what all the Lotus Eletre has on offer, let’s know with the help of images.

Futuristic exterior design carved by air

Designed under the direction of Ben Payne, the new Lotus SUV looks completely futuristic with scowling headlights, ultra-sharp bumper, and sci-fi air vents. However, unlike a jacked-up sports car and regular boxy off-roader SUVs, the Eletre has a sloping coupe-like roofline, heavily sculpted doors, and giant 23-inch alloy wheels with machine-cut split-finish and carbon fiber inserts.

The signature element of the new design philosophy is ‘porosity’ or the aerodynamic principle of air that flows through, under, over, and around the hyper SUV. The air is channelled under the leading edge and emerges through exit vents in the hood above. Porosity also flows ahead of and behind the front wheel arches and rear wheels and on the D-pillar. In addition, there are fin-like spoilers on the roof and a hidden rear spoiler that unfolds at high speeds.

Lotus claims the porosity offers a more efficient journey in terms of improved vehicle range, speed, and performance.

Electric Reverse Mirror Display

In place of the door mirrors, the Eletre is fitted with an Electric Reverse Mirror Display that incorporates three different cameras; one for the rearview, a second for a 360-degree view, and a third for intelligent driving technologies. 

Lots of screens 

Inside the new Eletre, we find a 15.1-inch landscape OLED touchscreen with a game-inspired interface, which automatically folds flat when not required. 

There are two more screens - one for the driver and another for the front passenger and an augmented-reality head-up display.

An additional touchscreen display between the rear seats is also part of the kit.

Man-made textiles and sustainable wool blends

Available at the primary touchpoints are premium, highly durable man-made microfibres, while there is an advanced wool-blend fabric for the seats. In addition, the hard surfaces of the cabin are made of carbon fibre.

Advanced sound system

Lotus Eletre comes equipped with an 800-watt, 15-speaker set-up with an option of upgrading it into the 1500-watt, 23-speaker KEF Reference system. The latter features a high-performance speaker and sub-woofer design.

LIDAR system

Lotus’s new SUV is the world’s first car featuring the deployable LIDAR system supporting intelligent driving technologies. It comprises 4 LIDAR units -

• One at the top of the windscreen
• One at the top of the rear window
• One on each front guard, which remains hidden when not in use

Along with supporting advanced driver assistance systems, LIDAR tech will also offer “end-to-end” autonomous driving capability. For example, with the help of a smartphone app, you will be able to request your Eletre to drive autonomously from a nearby parking area or autonomously repark itself. The automaker will be adding additional autonomous driving capabilities to the pack via over-the-air software updates as and when it will be allowed by the regulators.

Included in the advanced safety features are autonomous emergency braking, lane centring assist, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, lane change assist, front and rear cross-traffic alert, reverse and parking AEB, a door opening warning, and a traffic sign recognition.

800-volt electrical architecture

Eletre underpins the Lotus Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) platform created jointly with its parent company, Geely. It comprises aluminium and high-strength steel for optimum rigidity and 800-volt electrical architecture for high charging speeds. 

The architecture is kitted with an all-wheel drivetrain consisting of twin motors and a large (100kWh+) battery pack. The motor delivers a maximum power output of 600 hp, enabling the SUV to hit the century sprint in less than three seconds before hitting a top speed of 260 kmph. As for the driving range, it delivers around 600 km on the WLTP cycle. 

The SUV supports up to 350 kW DC fast charging, providing 400 km of range in 20 minutes when it comes to charging. 

Looking for Lotus Eletre price and availability details? Well, the automaker is set to launch the new Eletre in Europe and the UK next year at an est. price of £100,000 (approximately equal to RM 551,911).

Also read: Lotus says goodbye to Exige, Elise, and Evora