Lotus reportedly becomes latest brand to abandon all-electric plans

In 2018, Lotus launched its Vision80 plan, which aims to transform the company into a “global pure electric mobility provider” in just ten years. Fast forward to today, and the company has reportedly become the latest automaker to abandon all-electric plans.

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The company will reportedly adopt a so-called super hybrid, using a range-extended powertrain. They promise to combine high performance with long range through the engine.

More info: Lotus Theory 1 concept is a 986-horsepower three-seat electric Esprit

The news apparently comes from an interview Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng had with the Wall Street Journal. While we couldn’t find the article, Autocar cited it, and a transcript appeared on EmiraForum over the weekend.

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With those disclaimers out of the way, Qingfeng reportedly said “I believe the life cycle of fuel vehicles is still very long,” noting that Lotus drivers averaged 18,641 miles (30,000 kilometers) per year. This means that range is extremely important to customers, but it seems some customers are abandoning this goal in the push for pure electric vehicles.

Range does not seem to be the only problem. Qingfeng is reported to have said, “The penetration rate of pure electric vehicles in the luxury car field is very slow because the engines of luxury cars are already very powerful and the driving experience is also very similar. They are all eight-cylinders. . “The twelve-cylinder engine performs well. He went on to say that “the improvements in electricity are not significant,” so some consumers are not interested in electric vehicles.

To address these issues, the super hybrid will reportedly use a 900V electrical architecture, a turbocharged engine and a battery pack. This could give them a total range of up to 680 miles (1,094 kilometers).

Details are hazy at best, but we’ll learn more during Lotus’ third-quarter earnings call. That remains to be seen, but the company delivered 7,543 vehicles in the first nine months, a year-over-year increase of 134%. Although it sounds like good news, Lotus is mired in the red, with the company reporting an operating loss of $438 (£346/€4.15) for the first half of 2024.

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