Evija name confirmed for Lotus’ electric hypercar

Lotus has confirmed the name for its first all-electric hypercar, previously codenamed the Type 130. The new range-topper from Hethel will be called the Lotus Evija. The first official rendering revealed an elegant, low-slung, cab-forward silhouette with a long-ish tail optimised for aero and aesthetics, and looks poised to take on the Pininfarina Battista, the Rimac C-Two and other high-end electric hypercars.

The name starting with E name continues the naming tradition for the brand, which includes the Esprit, Elise and Evora. Lotus explains Evija is pronounced ‘Ev-eye-a’ and means ‘the first in existence or the living one.’  The teaser images suggest that the Evija will be roughly as long as the Evora but wider and lower. Additionally, the Evija will make extensive use of carbonfibre inside and out to keep weight as low as possible, keeping in mind the added weight from the batteries, a necessary evil in case of present-day electric cars.

Hethel has also confirmed that just 130 examples of the new car will be built, with deliveries starting in 2020. Even before the official launch of Lotus’ newest offering, spectators at the Goodwood Festival of Speed will be able to get sneak peeks of the Evija, along with the Evora GT4 concept racer.

More about the codename

Lotus has always codenamed their concepts with a ‘Type-’ moniker. These include the Type 14, the world’s first composite monocoque production road car (the 1957 Elite); the Type 72, the most successful F1 car of all time, and the Type 111, otherwise known as the 1995 Lotus Elise, which was the world’s first aluminium and bonded extrusion construction production car.

The official reveal of the final car with specification and full details is set to be on July 16 2019, appropriately in London, the birthplace of Lotus exactly after 71 years.

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