Lotus may suspend Elise EV development to wait for

Lotus hopes that the successors to the Elise and Emira will retain the brand’s core philosophy, but current battery technology is not yet mature.

Lotus may delay the launch of its much-anticipated Elise and Emira successor, the Type 135 electric sports car, due to concerns that current battery technology would make it too heavy. According to the brand, the model must remain as close to the Elise as possible, and today’s battery technology is not advanced enough to achieve this.

The brand’s first all-electric sports car is scheduled to be launched in 2027 and will serve as the successor to the Emira. In a recent interview, Lotus Group Design Director Ben Payne said that Lotus is still targeting 2027, but it may not be possible to emulate the characteristics of the beloved Elise with current battery technology.

Read: Lotus pure electric sports car will be launched in 2027, Emira model will be retired

“The technology isn’t there yet to allow you to recreate that product in a convincing way,” Payne told Autocar, referring to the taller silhouette and higher kerb weight of modern electric vehicles, one of the biggest issues facing driver-centric sports cars.

The successor to the Lotus Elise and Emira will ride on a new ‘E-Sports’ platform, with a rear subframe assembly that is 37% lighter than the Emira’s. This setup also means the battery can be placed in the middle of the chassis, allowing for a lower layout and lower driving position than electric vehicles with a skateboard structure.

Payne said solid-state batteries could help Lotus achieve its weight targets for the 135, but he did not say whether the manufacturer was considering switching to solid-state batteries.

“As the physical size decreases, the weight necessarily decreases, and you get back to your core values,” he said of solid-state batteries. “For a brand like Lotus, being able to reduce everything to a minimum and then wrap the car in it was core to the philosophy of founder Colin Chapman.”

The design chief declined to confirm whether the 2027 launch date would be pushed back, saying: “These things need to be connected in the right way.”