- Lotus and Britishvolt sign MoU
to collaborate on advanced EV technology
- Partnership to co-develop
innovative EV package to power new generation EV sports car
- Design sketch provides first
clues to new Lotus EV sports car
(Hethel,
UK – 28 January 2022) -
Lotus and battery cell expert Britishvolt have signed an MoU to collaborate on
the research and development of advanced new EV technology.
The
partnership will focus on the co-development of an innovative new battery cell
package to power the next generation of electric sports cars from Lotus. The
package is set to feature in a new sports car, powered by Britishvolt cells and
utilising advanced electric propulsion technologies developed by Lotus. An
official design sketch provides the first clues to a new Lotus EV sports car.
Britishvolt
is the UK’s foremost investor in battery cell technologies and associated
R&D to create homegrown intellectual property. Key focuses of the partnership
will be fast-charging, optimising energy density and weight reduction.
Development
work on the project will benefit from the close proximity of Lotus and
Britishvolt’s R&D centres of excellence in the West Midlands, the UK’s
‘golden triangle’ of battery excellence. The Lotus Advanced Technology Centre
(LATC) opened in Wellesbourne in 2020 as the global headquarters of Lotus
Engineering, the consultancy division of the business.
The
collaboration with Britishvolt is another significant development in the
ongoing transformation of Lotus, from a UK sports car company to a global and
all-electric performance car business and brand. It follows a £100m investment
by Lotus in its UK facilities, which includes manufacturing centres at Hethel
for the Evija pure electric hypercar and Emira sports car – future-proofing the
world-renowned and innovative UK high-performance auto sector and the thousands
of jobs that it supports.
Matt
Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars, commented: “Lotus is delighted to be collaborating
with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the
thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver. These are the
first exciting steps on the journey towards an all-new electric sports
car from Lotus, and yet another step towards the transformation towards
sustainable, renewable electricity stored in batteries.”
He added:
“Last year we committed Lotus to a pure electric future, and in the first month
of this year we announce another significant step on that journey. In the
coming months we will be unveiling the Type 132, an all-new and all-electric
Lotus SUV and we’ve confirmed three more EVs are on the way.”
All future
Lotus cars will be pure electric and inspired by the Evija, deliveries of which
commence this year as the world’s first British electric hypercar.
Britishvolt
is on target to responsibly manufacture some of the world’s most sustainable,
low carbon battery cells on the site of the former Blyth Power Station coal
stocking yard located in Cambois, Northumberland.
The
development is a major boost for Northumberland, and indeed the country, and
will bring around 3,000 direct highly-skilled jobs and another 5,000+ in the
associated supply chains.
Advanced
works started on the site on September 6, 2021, following a unanimous planning
decision approval earlier in the year. The project will be built in phases, to
keep up with technology advancements, and will have a total capacity of over
30GWh by the end of the decade onwards.
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