With the changes of intelligence and electrification to human travel and car habits, the entire automotive industry is undergoing drastic changes from the era of fuel vehicles to the era of electrification. In the face of the reshaping of the industry, the entire automobile market has also entered unprecedented competition. While other auto companies are still entering a bottleneck period of development in order to seize market share and desperately compete involuted, Lotus has ushered in a period of rapid brand development through an early all-in electrification and intelligent market layout under the guidance of the vision80 strategy. After the successive launch of new models such as EMIRA and Eletre, the brand's first pure electric four-door supercar sedan, EMEYA, which will be launched in 2024, will once again refresh consumers' perception of million-level pure electric cars and become the best choice in the same market.
The industry's only 4 active air kits, making Emeya fast and stable
In the racing paddock, in addition to the power, the aerodynamic design and chassis determine the speed of a car. Power can determine a car's acceleration and speed cap on the straightsThe aerodynamic design determines the stability of the carOf course, if a car wants to run fast, it's not enough to be fast on the straights, it also needs to be better in the corners, and then you need a good chassis and tuning to ensure the car's handling. These are the factors that determine whether a race car is good or not, and they are also suitable for the top supercars currently on the market, because most production sports cars are also born out of racing technology.
As a sports car brand that has always taken handling as its core gene, Lotus has continued to maintain the masterful level of aerodynamic design, chassis manufacturing and tuning accumulated from the era of fuel vehicles in the process of transformation from fuel to pure electric. These "killer features" that Lotus has always been proud of are also reflected in its latest launch of the first all-electric four-door supercar sedan, the Emeya.
With the advent of the pure electric era, the first technical bottleneck to be solved by electrified sports cars is power. Driven by a powerful motor, the current pure electric sports car can easily break through the 500 horsepower mark, and 0-100kph enters 3It is also common to take less than 5 seconds. However, with the improvement of power performance, the new generation of pure electric sports cars also faces a major problem, that is, the stability and controllability of driving. After all, not all consumers have the driving skills of a professional-level driver. How to make a high-horsepower electric sports car easier to drive is a difficult problem for all sports car manufacturers. At this time, excellent aerodynamic design is the "rein" that controls the high-horsepower pure electric sports car.
In order to make its first all-electric supercar, the Emeya, run fast and steady, Lotus, the aerodynamic design master of the F1 era, once again showed its unique skills.
While other competitors are struggling to reduce the drag coefficient of the pure electric vehicle to increase the vehicle's range, Lotus has jumped out of this limitation and brought the Emeya's aerodynamics to a whole new level with four Race-Aero airways and the most and only four active aerodynamics packages in its class.
The active grille at the front of the EMEYA is designed to open and close automatically depending on the vehicle's range or the cooling needs of the battery and drivetrain. When the vehicle is driven aggressively, the active grille opens to allow cool air to help dissipate heat from the drivetrain and battery packWhen the car needs to pursue range, the grille closes and the airflow at the front of the front is directed to the sides of the vehicle, reducing the drag of the vehicle and increasing the range by up to 23 km!
In the '70s, Lotus was unbeatable in Formula 1The key to Lotus' F1 succession is its first-of-its-kind ground effect design. Today, this unique design is also used in Emeya.
By equipping the EMEYA with an active-retractable air dam, which is the only in its class, under the front spoiler, the EMEYA improves aerodynamics by reducing the gap between the chassis and the road. When the dam is fully open, the vehicle's range can be increased by about 12 km;When the air dam is completely closed, it can provide the vehicle with a maximum downforce of 76 kg, thus improving the stability of the vehicle at high speeds. The secret of this design lies in the speed of the airflow through the chassis of the vehicle, if the airflow can pass through the chassis more quickly, an area close to vacuum can be formed between the chassis and the road surface, so that the vehicle seems to be "sucked" on the road running, is it very "black technology"?
In the era of fuel vehicles, the rear diffuser has become a regular design for many supercars, but have you ever heard of the active rear diffuser?Inspired by the DRS system of modern F1 racing cars, the rear of the Emeya is equipped with two active rear diffusers that are the only in its class. When the vehicle is driving at low speeds, they are hidden inside the body to maintain the overall aesthetic of the body design and improve chassis passability;When the emeya is driving at high speeds, the two active rear diffusers actively extend to reduce the approach time of the upper and lower airflow of the car, so as to reduce air resistance, thus greatly improving the stability of the vehicle.
For most consumers, the rear wing on the body may be a "decoration" that looks very stylish and sporty;For Lotus, the rear wing is the key to victory in F1"**From the Lotus Type 49B, the first racing car in F1 to use a fixed wing, to the first racing car to use a double-layer rear wing, the Lotus Type 72, Lotus's application of the rear wing has reached its peak. At the rear of the Emeya, it is equipped with the world's first active double-layer rear wing. The active double-layer rear wing is controlled by an intelligent system, and the main and auxiliary rear wings are linked by clever multi-link components, with three hovering states, which can provide 215kg of downforce to the Emeya while improving the drag coefficient. When the Emeya is at high speeds, the active double-layer rear wing significantly improves the overall handling of the vehicle and increases driving pleasure.
Thanks to the most in its class, and the only one in the industry, the EMEYA has a drag coefficient as low as 021, so as to ensure that the vehicle has the best range;When activated, the EMEYA achieves a maximum net downforce of 150kg, resulting in racing-grade stability and driving pleasure.
6D intelligent chassis, bringing ultimate driving performance
In addition to its outstanding aerodynamic design, Lotus, as a master of chassis construction and tuning, has also brought the industry's most advanced 6D intelligent chassis to Emeya.
The so-called 6D intelligent chassis means that through longitudinal control, vertical control, lateral control, roll control, pitch control and yaw control, EMEYA achieves a perfect balance of comfort and handling when driving, and has the three characteristics of agility, linearity and toughness. To achieve this goal, Lotus, which has 75 years of track tuning experience, equipped the Emeya with dual-chamber air suspension, 48V active stabilizer bars, rear-wheel steering technology and a powerful braking system to achieve a supercar-level braking distance of less than 33m. In addition, the dual-motor drive + four-wheel drive system can bring surging power to it.
In order to provide the Emeya with excellent ride comfort on a daily basis and fast chassis support and responsiveness during intense driving, Lotus has equipped it with a dual-chamber air suspension system with adjustable height and softness. The dual-chamber air suspension system has actually been used in many supercars, so it is not too difficult in terms of technology, and the key core to determine its performance and performance is still tuning. How to achieve the perfect balance between driving sportiness and ride comfort is precisely where Lotus excels. With 75 years of experience in chassis tuning, Lotus' chassis tuning is among the best in the entire automotive industry.
At the same time, with the blessing of the 48V active stabilizer bar, it is like an invisible big hand controlling the left and right suspension of the Emeya. When the vehicle cornered at high speed, it will try to suppress the roll of the body to maintain its horizontal driving attitude, and the feedback to the driver is a stronger grip and chassis support, so as to make the driving control more enjoyable, and the ride more reassuring and stable.
As a four-door supercar sedan with a length of more than 5 meters, Lotus has equipped the Emeya with a maximum adjustable angle of 35° rear-wheel steering. With the support of rear-wheel steering technology, the rear wheels can be steered in the same direction when changing lanes at high speeds, allowing the vehicle to change lanes faster and improve driving safety. In addition, in the face of small spaces, the smaller turning radius also makes it easier to park and make a U-turn.
Running fast and braking steadily, a good braking system is essential for a high-performance coupe. Excellent braking power not only provides a higher redundancy for driving safety, but is also the key to the fastest lap time on the track. For this purpose, Lotus has equipped the Emeya with front brake discs with a diameter of 420 mm and a thickness of 40 m, as well as rear brake discs with a diameter of 410 mm and a thickness of 32 mm. Larger discs and the world's lightest 10-piston carbon-ceramic composite braking system produce powerful stopping power and excellent resistance to thermal decay. When driving on a multi-slope road or running an intense lap on the track, the powertrain can still provide continuous high-intensity braking power without the risk of thermal degradation, which is essential for driving safety. In addition, because the weight of the carbon-ceramic brake disc is only about 40% of that of the cast iron brake disc of the same size, this can also effectively reduce the unsprung mass of the vehicle and thus improve the speed of the suspension and the endurance of the vehicle. In terms of service life, carbon ceramic brake discs can be not replaced for life, which is more stable and reliable.
With the only 4-item active air package in its class and the top-notch handling performance brought by the 6D intelligent chassis, the EMEYA also needs a powerful powertrain to drive. To this end, Lotus is equipped with high-power front and rear dual motors, with a maximum output of 675 kilowatts, a maximum torque of 985 Nm, and an acceleration of 2 per 100 km/h78 seconds, top speed 256kph!Brings an unparalleled sense of speed to Emeya.
It is worth mentioning that the front and rear dual motors of EMEYA use SiC silicon carbide modules, which greatly improves the efficiency of the motor and effectively improves the thermal management of the whole vehicle. The car is able to maintain its best performance even after continuous and rapid acceleration. In addition, the electronic four-wheel drive system matched with dual motors can also help the vehicle maintain driving stability in multi-road conditions.
And thanks to the friction plate structure of the two-speed gearbox equipped with the emeya, the frustration of shifting has also been greatly optimized, and the gear switching is as smooth as silk, making daily driving more comfortable. The stability and reliability of this gearbox is also excellent if it is necessary to drive aggressively, and even if the Emeya starts 10 times in a row, there will be no overheating problems.
Native 800V high-voltage platform, say goodbye to range anxiety
For pure electric coupes, high performance and long battery life have always been one of the contradictions. In order to solve the anxiety of users about driving range and charging, Lotus has applied a full 800V high-voltage EPA electric performance architecture for the EMEYA.
For pure electric vehicles, although a shorter charging time can also be obtained by increasing the charging current, the continuous high heat and accelerated heating generated by the large current are also very obvious. In contrast, increasing the charging voltage is undoubtedly a more efficient and smart approach. The 800V high voltage mode can support faster charging for a longer period of time than the 400V.
To this end, the Lotus EPA (Electrical Performance Architecture) was developed with a global range of 800V. All the electrical components used in the EPA electric performance architecture equipped with the vehicle have reached the rated working voltage of more than 800V, which is adapted to 800V high-voltage charging to the greatest extent and does not need to add any redundant components, so as to achieve a truly "native" 800V architecture.
With the support of the full 800V high-voltage EPA electric performance architecture, EMEYA can replenish 180 kilometers of range in 5 minutes of charging, and charge the battery from 10% to 80% in 15 minutes. For daily city commuting, users can drive Emeya for a week on a single charge;If you need to use it for a long distance, you can meet the needs of intercity travel on a single charge, which undoubtedly solves the biggest range anxiety of pure electric vehicles. And with such a fast charging time, that is, a cup of coffee, charging is no longer an ordeal.
Summary:From an Formula 1 championship team to a luxury sports car manufacturer, no matter how times change, Lotus has always had racing fun in its DNA. The Lotus Emeya is a pure electric four-door supercar sedan that inherits the genes of Lotus F1 racing. Although the power form has changed the new generation of electric drive, with the technology empowerment of the 6D intelligent chassis, the Lotus Emeya still maintains the core of "pure driving pleasure". Compared with the pure electric coupe that is currently on the market that compete in size, configuration, and luxury, the "eclectic" Lotus Emeya is undoubtedly more attractive!