Lotus Engineering is to research the development of a new generation of electric vehicles.
According to an Autocar report, a US-based, environmentally-concerned maker of cars has asked the Hethel-based sports car builder help it design and build a range of electric cars that are affordable, practical, and fun to drive.
Lotus' design consultancy division needs first to discover if what California-based ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) wants to do is even realistic. realistically developed. The disciplines it'll have to deploy include electric motors, batteries and charging systems, as well as styling, performance, and production costs.
Lotus will draw upon the technical skills at its centres not just at Hethel, but also Michigan and Kuala Lumpur. We don't know if it'll look like a mobile gob-stopper (see pic).
Lotus is starting to develop quite a sideline in this field. In July last year, Californian electric sports car maker Tesla asked commissioned Lotus to build its Elise-based Roadster (see links below).
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