The world’s first electric hyper-SUV is here – The Lotus Eletre

First of all, did you get the pun? Stealing thunder… electric vehicle? Yeah I’ve been told I’m funny. What I was never told was that there is something called a Hyper-SUV. But, then if Lamborghini can define the Urus as a Super-SUV and all these sports car makers keep pushing out money making 4-door giants, who am I to contend these new terms. With that said, let’s figure out what exactly is the Lotus Eletre that Lotus claims will be the world’s first “Hyper-SUV.”

Lotus have stated that the Eletre owes its design inspiration to the legendary Lotus Evija and has the proper DNA of a Lotus sports car. The SUV is for the next generation of Lotus buyers who want the style and drive-ability of a sports car but, the practicality of an Uber. I mean the practicality of an SUV. Talking about design specifics, Lotus says that the Eletre has been “carved by air.” It has the unique Lotus design ‘porosity’ meaning air flows through the vehicle for improved aerodynamics, speed, range and overall efficiency.

The mechanical

Power output starts at 600 HP (not bad), a 100+ kWH battery with a driving range of around 600 Kms. Coincidence? The car charges with a 22kW AC charger or a 350kW fast charging giving 400 Kms of range in just about 20 mins. Lotus has also stated that the Eletre has joined the 2-second club though the 0-100 Kph time is ‘less than 3 seconds’ so, I wonder what they mean by the 2-second club. The best part though is it is not just an SUV for namesake like everything else. It will actually have 4WD and COULD BE capable at off-roading.

The Eletre is claimed to have ‘true Lotus performance.’ The car has five-link suspension at the rear for optimised ride and handling, while standard equipment includes air suspension and Continuous Damping Control (CDC). Active ride height, active rear axle steering, an active anti-roll bar and torque vectoring via braking are all available. The car comes with four drive modes, which adjust the steering, damper settings, power-train and accelerator pedal response. The modes are Range, Tour, Sport, Off-Road and Individual, and are standard on all versions of the car.

Exterior Design

As for the design, there is a unique sense of flow to the Eletre’s front end, which also includes a deployable LIDAR sensor mounted at the top of the windscreen. All the black components are finished in carbon fibre while the body panels are aluminium for weight reduction and better performance not to mention greater efficiency. It is the bold leading edge of the Eletre’s bonnet which continues round into the front wing, wheel arch and ultimately the length of the vehicle as a feature line. The car’s taut and muscular lines are dominant above it, while the aerodynamic elements are below.

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Moving round the car, its muscular haunches dominate the profile view. The air outlet immediately behind the front wheels defines the sculpted shape of the doors, each of which has a flush handle. The electrically opening cover for the charging port is fitted in the front wing, as are the deployable LIDAR sensors, one on each side and a world-first technology for the Eletre.

The aggressive rake of the windscreen is clearly visible in profile, with a relatively narrow, glass area – and black cantrail above – which tapers away dramatically at the rear. That leads into a unique floating D-pillar, engraved with the Eletre wordmark and featuring an innovative ‘air blade’ which aids drag reduction. Another example of Lotus’ porosity design language. It’s an aerodynamic performance enhancement taken directly from the front bumper of the Lotus Emira.

Each door mirror is replaced by an Electric Reverse Mirror Display (ERMD), which houses three different cameras – one for the rear-view mirror, a second to help create a 360-degree view of the car from above to aid parking, and a third that’s part of the intelligent driving technologies. It works in tandem with the Eletre’s LIDAR system to deliver autonomous driving capability. The car rides on 23-inch machine-cut split-finish five-spoke alloys with carbon fibre inserts to aid air flow and ceramic composite 10-piston caliper brakes.

Interior layout

The performance-oriented and technical design is visually lightweight, using ultra-premium materials to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Shown with four individual seats, this is available to customers alongside the more traditional five-seat layout. Above, a fixed panoramic glass sunroof adds to the bright and spacious feeling inside.

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Sustainability has been a core focus of the design team, which has worked with leading supplier Kvadrat on material choices. The interior uses premium feel and highly durable man-made microfibres on the primary touchpoints, and an advanced wool-blend fabric on the seats. It is 50% lighter than traditional leather, allowing for further weight savings. The hard materials are carbon fibre, though rather than use the traditional ‘weave’ most often associated with automotive design, Lotus has recycled the fibres trimmed from the edge of the weave. These have been reconstructed into a new matting, then compressed in a resin to create the car’s premium marble-like finish.

Where it stands?

SUVs, as we all know, are the rage of the world right now. This should only be clearer with the fact that Ferrari, a company known to have gone bankrupt for being an icon of sports cars is making a lifestyle SUV. All because of how well Lamborghini’s Urus did in sales and at the end of the day, the more funds you have, the more you win from your competition. Drag races don’t matter and neither does your market cap if you can’t sell cars. Get it Tesla fans?

Lotus has also entered this field competing with the likes of the Aston martin DBX, Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus and Ferrari’s upcoming Purosangue. Everyone wants a piece of the SUV pie. Especially those companies that lost their game and are now able to see a ray of hope with this new SUV and EV rage. It is worth noting that currently, only Lotus is offering an Electric “Sports” SUV.