Lotus teams up with Britishvolt to create electric sports car

Lotus has started a partnership with battery cell expert Britishvolt to help advance the firm’s research and development of electric vehicle technology and create a new electric sports car.

The pair, who have signed a memorandum of understanding, will focus on developing a new battery cell package which will be used to power ‘the next generation of electric sports cars’ from Lotus.

An official sketch has also been released, depicting this new electric Lotus sports car. Both Lotus and Instavolt benefit from research and development centres in the West Midlands, with the Lotus Advanced Technology Centre in Wellesbourne opened in 2020 as the headquarters of Lotus Engineering – the consultancy side of the business.

Matt Windle, managing director, Lotus Cars, commented: “Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver.

“These are the first exciting steps on the journey towards an all-new electric sports car from Lotus, and yet another step towards the transformation towards sustainable, renewable electricity stored in batteries.”

All future Lotus models will be pure electric, drawing their inspiration from the Evija, the firm’s first EV. Britishvolt is also working to manufacture more sustainable, low-carbon battery cells at a site on the former Blyth Power Station coal stocking yard in Cambois, Northumberland.