Lotus to roll out network of high-powered EV chargers

Lotus will deliver a network of ultra-fast electric vehicle chargers throughout Europe next year.

The Norfolk-based firm has created the system – primarily designed for businesses – as a way to ‘make it easier and quicker for EV drivers to charge their vehicles’.

A new liquid-cooled all-in-one charger will offer speeds of up to 450kW which could add up to 88.5 miles in just five minutes with a car that can accept that top rate of charge – the new Lotus Eletre, for example. A 10 to 80 per cent charge could be completed in as little as 20 minutes.

While Lotus has stated that its systems might be designed for businesses, it does mention that its liquid-cooled ‘power cabinet’, which can help reduce charging times, could be used at motorway service stations.

Mike Johnstone, chief commercial officer at Lotus Group, said: “Over the past six years, Lotus has been investing in the technology and infrastructure to accelerate the transition to electrification. We want to make it easier than ever to own an electric vehicle and with our latest offerings, Lotus is able to provide customers with the confidence to access easy, fast, and efficient charging.”

The fast-charging systems have already been installed at sites in China, but Lotus expects the chargers – which won’t be exclusive to Lotus vehicles, but could be used by other brands of EV – to roll out across the majority of European countries in the second quarter of 2024, with Germany and Austria added at a later date.