The World's (New) Most Powerful Car Is Sold Out Until 2022

The Evija, a record-breaking 2,000 horsepower all-electric hypercar from British carmaker Lotus, is already sold out.

The Lotus Evija marks a number of firsts for the British car-maker. Fresh from a major investment in 2017, it is the first all-electric British hypercar from Lotus, and with a production run limited to 130 vehicles, it is also the most exclusive electric car in the world. 

Capable of travelling from 0-62mph in under three seconds, with a top speed in excess of 200mph, it is the most powerful production car in the world. Until now, the world's most powerful production car was the all-electric Rimac C_Two, with 1,914 horsepower.

It is also one of the fastest charging cars in the world. Using existing charging technology - such as a 350 kW High Speed charging unit - the Evija’s charge time will be 18 minutes to 100 percent, with an all-electric range of 250 miles when ran on the WLTP Combined Cycle.

Customers will be able to design their car using a touch-screen configurator app, with a choice of three colours, Atomic Red, Solaris Yellow and Carbon Black. Designed especially for Lotus, its ultra-powerful graphics processor creates stunning high-definition ‘photo-realistic’ images and animations. Developed using advanced gaming software, these allow the buyer to visualise it from every angle, inside and out. With an imaging technique known as ray-tracing, they can even place their Evija into multiple environments around the world to see how localised sunlight levels will affect their choices. 

Vehicles will be sold directly by Norfolk-based Lotus, set to be priced from £1.5m-£2m plus duties and taxes with a £250,000 refundable deposit securing a production slot. 

We caught up with Lotus Chief Executive, Phil Popham, to hear more about this stunning electric car. 

How long has it taken to create the technology behind this car from start to finish?

Technology evolves over time and electrified cars have played a role in society for over 30 years, but they are finally becoming a little more prevalent in day-to-day life these days. The Evija is the culmination of decades of work, years of insight and innovation all constructed at Lotus HQ in England. The ideas that shape the finished product are ideas that the chief designer has been dreaming of since the ‘80s. A lot of investment has been made in Lotus in the past few years and that was the moment we could finally lay our findings, our dreams to paper and commit to creating the world’s most powerful all-electric hypercar.

How did you create a more powerful car than any other company?  

By listening to the generations before us that made Lotus a pioneering success. Lotus is a company of many ‘firsts’, whether it is using a rear diffuser for the first time, first to have a carbon fibre monocoque, or the first British sports car to have a mid-engine configuration, we have a history in refining existing properties to create better, safer, faster solutions. Lotus has a team of people with expertise within motorsport, engineering and road car development all of which have combined to create a purist hypercar, which drives like no other and all of that comes from utilising the knowledge we have from within the Lotus DNA from across our last 72 years. Very few successful companies in the world can lay claim to having such a prestigious past, with a unique DNA throughout it that continues to drive forward the products in the modern world. We have the foundations, the history, the knowledge and the people needed to create the world’s most exclusive, most powerful all-electric hypercar.  

Has the new ownership been a turning point for Lotus?

In 2017, Geely acquired a majority stake in Lotus and their investment has been crucial in allowing us to develop our premises, current product, staff, the Evija and our future sports cars. With the full backing of our parent company, the Evija will re-establish Lotus on the world stage and pave the way for further visionary models. It puts us at the top table of global performance car brands. It enables Lotus to take a quantum leap forward, provides a halo for the rest of the range, communicates a future design language and reminds the world that Lotus is a performance brand. Perhaps most of all, it shows that Lotus is defining its future.

People are aware of the Lotus brand due to our rich history in motorsport, but their knowledge of what we do now is low. With that in mind, I see ourselves as a 70-year start-up, using our new investment to thrust Lotus back into the hearts and minds of the public with Evija at the forefront of this strategy.

What nationalities are your buyers?

Lotus is a global car company and the Evija is available globally, including China, the US and Europe which are all key sales regions for the brand. Since we unveiled the car to the world last July, we’ve been overwhelmed by the response from prospective buyers across the globe. I wouldn’t say there is a specific nationality that has been the largest percentage of buyers, as we’ve received orders from Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East stemming from our ‘global tour’ of the Evija, where we took the hypercar to major cities and locations where the demand for this type of car is high.

I believe all your 2021 deliveries are sold out, is there a waitlist for 2022?

Indeed, that is correct, the scheduled slots for this year and 2021 deliveries are now full and we are looking to continue this momentum into 2022. We anticipate the first wave of orders will reach customers in Q4 2020 and we will be taking orders for 2022 towards the end of production for 2021 orders. As the vehicle is built on a made-to-order basis, we are aiming to fulfil orders as soon as we possibly can, allowing lucky owners the opportunity to enjoy driving this unique car.

Why did you choose Russell Carr for the design?

Russell is someone who knows the Lotus DNA inside out and was naturally the right person to develop such an innovative and striking design, that still handles and feels like a Lotus should whilst looking like a modern hypercar. Alongside our great design team, Russell has designed a car that not only stretches the boundaries of aerodynamics but also looks incredibly unique – one of the main things we were aiming for when we were developing the Evija. After many decades of service to Lotus, Russell has earned the right to craft this magnificent feat of engineering brilliance.

How will corona affect things?

Covid-19 is a fast-moving and ongoing pandemic that is sure to have economic ramifications for all elements of society. With regards to how this is going to specifically affect the future of elite electric car purchases, we are not sure at the minute. Regarding production, we will continue to adapt to the latest advice from the British government.  Our priority and strategy as a business during this unsettled period is one of Protect and Preserve, and we are working hard across the company to deliver on this. Protection is paramount, with a focus on protecting employees and the company itself. The preservation side is about our focus on our business and jobs, and those of our partners such as distributors, dealers, suppliers and more, and of course, our brand.