Lotus Evija EXCLUSIVE First Drive: fully electric hypercar prototype track tested | Top Gear
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 พ.ค. 2021
- Winner of the 'One to Watch' gong in the TopGear.com Electric Awards, it's the £2.4m Lotus Evija. Well, a prototype of the upcoming electric hypercar. And we've got the world exclusive first drive video for you, with Top Gear Magazine editor Jack Rix behind the wheel. Can a 1,600bhp electric prototype really handle like the cars of Lotus legend? Let's find out.
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Pronounce Rimac like it is written Reemats, that is correct way of saying it.
KILL THE ANNOYING MUSIC DROWNING ON IN THE BACKGROUND.
I miss a Jeremy clarkson review :(
But what about the Tesla roadster MK2?
Overly insanely powerful electric car, wet weather, first time in the cockpit -- Richard Hammond enters the chat...
Up side down 🤣👍
he turns the lotus into a flower on a football field
@@creamwobbly what?
@@creamwobbly fart?
This vid has 319 dislikes. 19 is the deepest level of hell where your soul will be tortured in the way infinite times more painful than the worst and most extreme torture we can ever imagine. Your soul will be tortured in the 19th level of hell in this most painful way much more painful than all past and future souls. This tortured on your soul in the 19th level of hell will be nonstopping and lasting forever beyond infinity!
I love that rusty piece, which connects the steering wheel to the rod. I hope it doesn't weigh too much...
Just like what we do in baja
"the interior is not ready yet "
The rusty piece adds 50+ HP to the car 🔥🔥🔥
British reliability 🤣
Incredible 👌
The rusty steering column is getting so much love.
Adds character
Matt. Formerly head of engineering, now the CEO. There's a company who understands and works with a true philosophy. Way to go Lotus
That's the kind of company you want to work for.
No Bullshit CEO. Engineering is everything.
Funny how Chinese management can do wonders.
@@wwbdwwbd So? You racist?
@@richardrichardson3184 Yeah, I am.
Im so happy that Lotus finally has the funding to make new cars. Lotus is such a special car brand, it REALLY deserves it.
There really is something special about Lotus it's great to see them moving forward
There is something about Lotus that cannot be left to die... I owned an Elan back in the day and later on an Elise. I mean these are small, lightweight and the best handling cars I've ever driven. They know exactly what they are doing with their concept and they are doing it oh so well.
Most people don't even realize that McLaren is literally all ideas from Lotus, but they didn't have the funding to get their projects running.
I saw an Evora the other day and realised, how incredibly rare they are, how great they look, how amazing they sound.
@@razatiger22 Well, no. McLaren F1 or P1 are most certainly no ideas from Lotus. They are two British F1 teams and as far as F1 goes they will all copy each other but when it comes to cars I just don't see it, engineering wise they are so VERY very different. Lotus builds small cars with fairly low power that focus on handling and "enough" power using engines from other makers while McLaren is more involved in the engineering of the engine and drivetrain and produce another type of car entirely.
I just don't see it and unless you have any form of source for product sharing between them neither do you.
I think that green tape should actually become a proper paint scheme. Those green lines look cool!
It would be cool if that matte black was your base color and they let you pick your own color of light tape for the car, personally I would either do white or magenta
Imagine if they made it led stripes. That's gonna be some cyberpunk shit
@@quiquicroissant8363 I was just visualizing that!
I can assure you that customers can spec exactly how they want it, so there will be beautiful paint schemes on this car
@@quiquicroissant8363 Look up electroluminescent paint called Luminor. Paint the stripes on with that. Invisible when you're cruising, but glow and get brighter the harder you poke the go faster pedal.
Bravo lotus for not losing sight of their core identity while still finding a way forward into the future. Can’t wait to see what is next from them.
Core identity ?
A huge, heavy, massive horsepower car with lots of Computers ?
Yes, It'll probably go like a bat outa hell, but ...
@@HauntedXXXPancake soulless? Yep I’m thinking the same, all electric cars feel the same. Once you’ve felt the acceleration once you notice the lack of character in all of them
@@HauntedXXXPancake my thoughts exactly. This car is badass, but it lacks lotus identity
@@tyler_bt3326 the soul for electric cars will be in the chassis dynamics and the differences in feel as they drive. Without an engine to worry about that will become much more apparent
@@HauntedXXXPancake it does keep to lotus principles. It's nearly 300kg lighter than a rimac c2...
In my opinion, this is the most beautiful Lotus EVER!!😃
Won't argue.
if they paint with racing green but with me, the original gray looks good with most cars, but it looks ugly when it applied to this evija
@@rimacctwo6901 I don't think the silver colour looks dull by any margin but then to each their own.
@@ankitshelke8637 maybe other color looks ok(like the black one in the video) but the default gray looks ughy in my opinion
this has got to be the nicest looking lotus i have seen in ages
It’s still ugly
low-us you mean
Get on the grand tour
@@tictoc677did you even watch the video? Try again and see how the guy from Lotus pronounces it.
Agreed. It's really beautiful. I love the lack of sharp edges along the length of the car. If they need to be there, they should be part of the front and rear of the car, as Lotus has done here.
I love the fact that the steering wheel is held on by a rusty part lol
It won't be in the production car
@@nakulbalaji8981 obviously there won't be a rusty part on an almost $3M car as advanced as this.
I don’t think you can use terms like ‘rusty’ for a ginger? But yes he held on the steering wheel 😂
Yeah, I too notice the rusty turn pipe that joints the removable sports steering to the main rod pipe of the steering, but it's just more like an extras, and I hope the production specs get a proper steering with no rusty materials like this.
@@chesspiece81 wouldn't this lack of reliability be questioned for buyers?
I can't believe lotus will me making their final internal combustion engine model, and that's it....such an iconic brand needs to live on.
It's very rare that the rear of a car looks sexier than the front, but this car does for some reason
Mclaren P1? IMO anyway.
Men do tend to like a big rear end...
Pagani Huayra...
Gtr looks better from the back too
It looks so good i agree
*Dear God this thing is absolutely beautiful. You’ve outdone yourself Lotus.*
+1
the aero on it, channelling inboard of the wheels, is just so lovely
This vid has 319 dislikes. 19 is the deepest level of hell where your soul will be tortured in the way infinite times more painful than the worst and most extreme torture we can ever imagine. Your soul will be tortured in the 19th level of hell in this most painful way much more painful than all past and future souls. This tortured on your soul in the 19th level of hell will be nonstopping and lasting forever beyond infinity!
Love those tail lights so much! 🔥🔥🔥
They look stunning, and the green accents around the car is beautiful!
@@Ved_Overclocked I love accents when they're well-done. Lotus nailed it 😎
its where most people will see the car
@@sethohs377 lol, that is true 😂
similar to Bugatti Bolide.
U can really feel how fast it is by the number of cuts during a single shot.
It just looks so good. Looks insane yet not over done at all.
bolides lights look amzing as well
It's strangely comforting to see this car. Lotus has reinvented itself with this amazing car, and that was about time. If the T.50 is the Last of the British Petrol Supercars, then the Evija is the first of the New Electric Hypercars.
Thought the nio and the rimac already had the first two spots
nio is track only rimac built like 3 cars or something
@@1183newman oh, so first street legal, mass produced, electric hypercar. Yes
@@aisu8481 i think rimac nevera did that :D
Couldn’t agree with you more.
What a dark horse this has turned out to be. Gorgeous.
Great to see Lotus still exists. Many big idea plans over the decades with the various manufacturers that have backed Lotus, but this one might actually lead to something well beyond survival.
Possibly the most underrated car manufacturer today. That thing looks stunning and I'm sure it rides even better!
This is one of those cars where we've seen them before but never thought they would come to life
I really want Lotus to succeed. They are such well kept "secret" and they really deserve more than where they are now (based on brand). It is shame that lightweight construction here is not yet fully show, and audience (at least me) thinks that all weight difference vs other 2+ tons cars are coming purely from smaller battery size. While Rimac/Pininfarina are half way knocking on Pagani's ethos of building details to perfection, Lotus for this hefty price and smaller battery should provide more engineering excellence.
@Tristan Lane you don´t need 1k bhp in an Elise...
@Tristan Lane have you heard of the original tesla roadster, it was a electric Elise
A fantastic review and an absolutely fantastic car. And the wrap design is pretty sweet too!! Can't wait to see what the future holds for Lotus.
that rusty part to me is art... i love it
Straight out of Tron. I love it
Exactly what Lotus needs. The future is bright
Except for the price point! 😬
For me, this is an awesome car, but it lacks lotus' identity as a brand that focus on lightweight sports cars. This car is heavy and has 2.000 hp. This looks great, but for me it goes far from my concept of a lotus.
The future is complicated. They are now owned by the Chinese and China is headed to worse and worse relations with the West/Japan/Taiwan/India etc.
This has got to be the most beautiful car since... Well, since I can remember. Incredible job Lotus!
This car is freaking gorgeous!!! I love Lotus designs.
This need's to be British Racing Green candy oved a gold and silver flake. That would look stunning.
Maiden rock!!!
Sounds similar to the brabham bt62 launch spec. which looked awesome!
Vanta black
You can spec it that way in the configurator.
@@frankbevan413 imagine standing on a curb, hearing the whirrs of the electric motor but not seeing the car because its literally that dark. Then again the windshield is pretty reflective
The conversation at the end sounds promising, real sense of busyness. Here's hoping Geely dont turn Lotus into the next MG rebranding exercise of Chinese cars.
Geelys done great work with Volvo. I think lotus is in decent hands
moving from combustion to EV. Even back in 2008 MG didn’t die there.
Without SAIC, they’d die nonetheless.
Or they revived themselves with 50% of its production being EV--which mostly likely end up with 70% crucial parts being Chinese.
geely only provide cash and management the engineering is still their like lotus, volvo and proton
The car is just gorgeous! The proportions are perfect!
I like the new managing director a lot, he seems to really have preservation of Lotus identity high in his list of values and that means a lot in a globalisation/wet flannel generation
That time when you called 1600 HP as “mere”
LOL That's the Power Limiter. Soo insane.
Sarcasm.
I know right. I was intrigued as Lotus and electric power dont really make a good combo due to the weight. When he said only 1600kg, i burst out laughing! Twice as heavy as a Lotus is then!
Chiron Super Sport and Koenigsegg Jesko have decided to protest.
@@TheGavinM40 still done a good job with those heavy batteries.
It looks great in the flesh. I’m really impressed with its compactness. It looks a lot longer in photos.
Holy. Lotus outdid themselves and all of the competition with this. Absolutely stunning
Definitely my electric HyperCar of choice. Having owned multiple Lotus’ over the years I wish the company all the very best in the future. 👏🏼
The aerodynamic properties of the rear are interesting
If you find holes interesting.
@@truantray no, i mean the way the tunnels affect the air exiting the diffuser
The whole concept of aerodynamics is interesting, cars nowadays can gain grip from thin air (literally)
@@chrissss696 i know how aerodynamics work
Im just happy Lotus is back on the game, big time!
I can't tell you how happy I am to see Lotus playing that big boy game, I pretty much ate spam for 2 years when I was younger to scrape up money and buy an Elise because it was my FIRST memory of seeing a sports car and being stunned by it.
(I hope they mean they'll still make hybrid vehicles when they say "last gas powered vehicle", I'd kill for a hybrid Evora!)
Keep the spirit alive
I just want this brand to live and thrive
I still haven't bought mine yet
From as much as I've heard
With a lotus, a driver runs out of skill, the car still delivers
I wanna own a few, so keep it going and I hope this brand lives on
I love that car holy moly that is fast
Everytıme ı watch a new top gear vıdeo there ıs a dıfferent presenter
Considering this fella has been doing it for years..
And they’re all better than Freddie Flintoff.
Looks amazing. Coolest car I've seen in a while.
I never imagined I could be more excited to watch these videos.
That sound it makes is actually amazing.
I respectfully disagree, but realise that people comparing the tone of EV whine is our future.
It has a high pitch, it quite annoys me actually. And it almost feels edited in because the sound stays the same in between shots and feels unnatural with the way he drives, also why is the Tesla silent and Lotus actually makes sound?
@@Xm0ur3r Teslas have sound dampening between the motors and the cabin and the Lotus doesn't. That said, if you mash the gas on a Tesla you can actually hear the motors, it just doesn't usually get picked up by microphones so you don't hear it in videos.
You mean that incessant WHINING noise?? That’s “amazing”?
@@thedudeabides1443 People rant and rave about supercharger whine being the bee's knees on car forums all day long. In my opinion this Lotus has a much more pleasant sound than a large supercharger for sure.
Sexiest green tape i have ever seen..... I am loving the look of this car ..... well done guys 👍
That side vent design that streams air directly to the rare is sick!
The lines on this thing are incredible, what a great looking super car!
It looks fantastic and I actually really like the sound of those electric engines something I thought I would never say
It almost sounds like a turbine car, just not as loud XD
That's beautiful, the car is nice too
Insanely beautiful!!
Insanely powerful!!
Insanely fast!!....
And insanely priced!
Love the rusty steering column 😂
3:58 That rust on the steering wheel is really worrying me
British reliability for you! Imagine spending this much money to get a rust quickly in arguably the most important part of any car
They clearly said it’s a prototype bro. Please listen
It's a lotus and also a prototype without interior panels. All part of the fun.
@@m.a4491 it’s a prototype for testing
@@plastiquemaraj8839 yeah but wouldn't a potential buyer still question this lack of quality? It's easier to at least cover it if cannot provide a good quality for the prototype
Lol is that a rusty steering column
When you have 1600hp on tap .. its not an big issue
@@TechReviewInsider yea who cares if the steering snaps off
@@TechReviewInsider It is if I'm paying $3m.
It's a prototype and it's clearly just surface rust...
the first half is how all such vids should be made, that whistle was delicious, i want one already
Looks epic and the lack of noise will help drivers deal better with the extra performance.
Enough battery for track days or Sunday blast. As well as a lot of ideas that can be applied across a new range.
Job done.
Love the new design tendency towards these flying buttress venturi tunnels, have done since I first saw the Ford GT. Amazing to see it on a mid engined electric.
I mean you're aren't wrong about that. Plus Electric Engine rolls off the tongue better than the usual but overused 'motor' term
Nice to see Lotus returning to the playing field... !
you mean rimac?
@@hagestad Rimac isn’t with Lotus, only with Pininfarina
@@sneaky_krait7271 it is, but its under secret contract, let stay it that way ;-)
@@denirebic5769 Haha, not that secret right? Also heard they are working with Bugatti now too!
Such a pretty car. The color and livery is great as well!
This car is mental, and looks killer, especially with the Top Gear touch. I'd pay good money to be a passenger for a few laps. The future of hypercar tourism seems very bright.
Love this approach. I hope Mazda does the same with a lightweight MX5/Miata. And yeah, we need to get more chargers at tracks.
Rusty steering column?
Its a prototype! They mentioned it in the beginning.
th-cam.com/video/RbJ04zDlaJM/w-d-xo.html
@@nastystew6942 yeah, but rusty?
That livery is stunning. It really lets the shapes do the talking
Love the Tron paint scheme. In fact I love the whole thing, fabulous looking beast. Great to see a British company building a car like this.
The green is just tape they added for this video to show the lines in the design
This is the car Batman would drive in his leisure time !
i think of Batman as an Aston Martin kind of guy
@@matthewkuhl79 Bruce Wayne might be a Aston Martin guy as he would want to be discreet. Batman on the other hand...
@@user-jt1jv8vl9r 🙂
Not much discreet about a Valkyrie
Bruce Wayne's false persona requires flamboyancy, hence the Murcielago in The Dark Knight & the AMG-One in Justice League.
This particular car would be right up Bruce Wayne's alley.
@@keysersoze2313 The Valkyrie is plenty flamboyant. i just see BW in an Aston because of all the connotations with that brand.
The most impressive thing is how it managed to get a 0-60 above 3 seconds with 1600bhp
Agreed. 3 possible explanations, 1 it doesn't have 1600hp, 2 it weighs way more than 1600kg, or 3 it spins the tyres.
@@MrBirgerB or 4 it single long gear. 5 it's not finished yet
This is a prototype. Remember he said that stability control, traction control and ABS are rudimentary on this car. I'm sure full production models will put the power down better, especially considering the battery placement, which is genius for steering response and weight transfer, though not for center of gravity. I'd rather have Lotus under-promise and over-deliver than the typical arrangement we have with Tesla.
you can't apply ICE logic to electric cars. Its single gear, and lotus would much rather make a car that accelerates from 30-100 fast, so it won't have much torque at low speed.
@@JD-eo7dr good point, though it would have to be a very very long gear😁
This looks incredible & probably wipe the floor with its competitors! It goes like hell for leather 😊👍
Jack Rix ~ you do good pleasing work! :) Keep it up!
I love your enthusiasm and your passion for cars! :)
The amount of people commenting on the rusty steering column after Jack said "prototype" about 800 times in this vid is concerning
It's our declining education system see...
Yeah
Well, you see, we never focus, ignore the fact and immediately complain about the most simplest thing possible
Confused as to why this thing is only racking in a 3.3 sec 0-62 with 1600 bhp when we’ve got teslas putting in sub 2 sec 0-60s with half the power and twice the weight. Stunning and impressive car nonetheless just surprised the power delivery doesn’t fully strike until higher speeds
Exactly what I was wondering as well
And then you look at the price difference. Tesla are years ahead.
This is just a prototype. It's supposed to get 2000 bhp.
@@ryanjonathanmartin3933 Well yes
No traction control on the Lotus yet! :-)
love that you guys saw their window line and said; Nah, pointier
Wish Lotus all the best and hope they hit their ambitious targets 👍🏼
My favourite car brand finally making an electric car
Also does anyone know the song at the start of the video
Ruock It by Jailed Jamie.
@@Oosh21 I think it's actually Added Tool
Amazing build. But why is there rust on the steering column on a 2m car - even if it's a prototype?
Stunningly beautiful. Marvelous piece of engineering. Lovely car.
I LOVE the way it looks!
This thing looks built in a wind tunnel starting with the first bolt 😂
Cudos to the rusted steering wheel couple. Would insist on this finish as a customer.
Bit of ‘lotus DNA’ from the roof leaking 😂
Beautiful and exciting - really good job Lotus! I only wish it sounded better...
Looks gorgeous can’t wait to see final retail products
Wanna see that thing on the Nürburgring (if it can do a whole lap).
Lol. Without falling apart
At 21 km per lap, probably would be able to do more than one, assuming they have a very robust battery cooling setup. IMO this is a better way of doing electric performance, get a battery chemistry that has a huge C-rate, and make the car lighter. I wouldn't be surprised if this became a new Nürburgring champ with this curb weight and amount of horsepower.
@@0hypnotoad0 I'm curious how they feed the 4 motors with high enough constant voltage with such a small battery? I've always heard you need a big battery to prevent voltage sag from happening quickly. I wonder if it starts off with 1400hp and ends with around 800...
@@aussie2uGA Voltage sag is not going to be substantial enough to cause problems, as it wouldn't be enough to cause a 40% drop in maximum power as you say (maybe 20%) and more importantly, because this only uses a single gear reduction, motor RPM and power output are directly correlated. As an ICE car cycles through it's gears, it will run through it's rev range and produce it's max horsepower multiple times before the car achieves its top speed, but an electric motor and single gear reduction will only achieve max horsepower when it's near the cars top speed. In most racetracks (except for maybe Le Mans) you're unlikely to reach any sports cars top speed for any significant amount of time. So yes you're right, voltage sag will reduce max horsepower, but for this car that will only really effect it's top speed, which is already far in excess of what you can reasonably do in Nordschleife.
@@0hypnotoad0 it might get close to its top speed on the big 2km straight on the ‘ring, given the acceleration claims are true.
Does it share bits with Rimac C_Two? Or just technology? Or totally separate anyway?
Separate
Id imagine everything is custom but maybe inversters are the same design
Technology.
What a stunning piece of engineering!!
Good luck Lotus with growing better and bigger!
Rust on the connection to the stearingwheel..
It’s a prototype…
It's just surface corrosion. It's a prototype and I bet that part gets changed a lot for different drivers
The matte black and the cyan/green accents on this car looks awesome!
This is an instant classic. this is a beautiful car.
Really interesting interview!!!
Good luck Lotus
This has got to be one of the cleanest hypercar design out there.
Yup
Look at the rusted piece of metal the steering wheel is bolted to. Definitely a prototype haha
Amazing looking car and rapid and it'll handle well like most lotus hopefully it won't have regular lotus problems
Amazing work, well done Lotus team
Soooo stunning
th-cam.com/video/RbJ04zDlaJM/w-d-xo.html
This looks like the love child of A Ford GT and a Lamborghini Gallardo with a bit P1 sprinkled in 💯💯
The backoff on that lotus is juicy... What a stud!
Beautiful with those blue lines ...
I never thought an electric car could sound good but Lotus has done it.
By “sound good” you mean that incessant whining noise?
Look at the mustang electric, not the suv but the other video top gear did and that car has like 7 motors and the noise, just amazing!
@@harsimranbansal5355 That's the Mach E SUV special performance package 1400.
The hottest Lotus ever...period!
and its rimac as previously it was toyota.
@@hagestad i don't really care if it is Kawasaki or Caterpillar, as long they made a hypercar.
@Amarjit Singh Dhesi yes it is, but its under the secret contract...so well lets stay that way ;-)
@Amarjit Singh Dhesi ok however you say. ;-)
I think Lotus have outdone themselves, this car will take them off the backburner into the forefront of motoring. I've always heard people speak about Lotus with high regard for it's handling, but this will put the cherry on the cake in terms of overall performance. Well done Lotus, may you go from strength to strength👍👍👀