The pure electric Lotus Emeya GT looks and drives like a modern Lotus should
Lotus finds its groove with the elegant Emeya, a true 21st-century grand tourer
![Lotus Emeya R](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rQsUNgBDocjvw6gEobWVt8-415-80.jpg)
The Lotus Emeya is the fourth instalment of Lotus Cars’ 21st-century rebirth after the Evija electric hypercar, the Emira ‘last hurrah’ petrol sports car, and Eletre electric large SUV. The storied British performance brand is calling the all-electric Emeya a ‘Hyper GT’ and to be fair, its top-level 918 hp R version can comfortably accommodate four or five people and their luggage, as well as accelerate from 0-62 mph in only 2.8 seconds in an uncannily quiet and controlled manner.
Top speed is an eye-popping 159mph where laws allow – including where Wallpaper* tested the car in Germany – and in regular spec, its 379-mile range and quick charging capability certainly make a ‘Grand Tour’ possible.
Lotus Emeya on the road
Out on the road, the car’s pleasingly chiselled and polished form and hunkered-down stance certainly cut a dash – aided by its historically brand-appropriate bright yellow paintwork – and a different underfloor battery structure saves 20mm in height compared to the pack in the Eletre, allowing the Emeya’s roofline to remain low whilst also providing good rear headroom.
Despite those look-at-me looks, there’s subtlety and function to the Emeya’s exterior too. Its front and rear side ducts really do let air through them for aerodynamic benefit – unlike so many other sporty-looking cars with fake vents. And while the lower centre front grille appears to be solid, when more cooling is needed, triangular flaps within it open automatically to enable airflow. A rear spoiler also pops up when necessary at higher speeds and the overall result is a highly credible 0.21Cd drag coefficient.
Elsewhere, you might notice a flush oval ring cut into the black roof just above the windscreen’s top edge – which hides a deployable sensor for assisted highway driving – and another pair of gloss black-clad cameras sensitively integrated into the design of the exterior front doors to future-proof the Emeya for higher levels of autonomous driving.
Other cutting-edge exterior tech includes optional slim rearview cameras, instead of bulkier wing mirrors, with real-time images from behind the car relayed to the driver via small screens nestling towards the hinge of each interior door.
The Emeya’s cabin is a massive jump forward from the bare-bones Lotus interiors of old (and visually akin to the newer Eletre). A high centre console between the two front seats engenders a cocooning feeling and in the middle of the two-tone, horizontally aligned dashboard a large landscape-shaped 15.1in OLED touchscreen is flanked by slim 12.6in driver and passenger displays.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Pretty intuitive to use, its grey and yellow colour scheme can make viewing tricky in bright sunlight at certain angles, but the brightness and contrast can be adjusted. The Emeya is also easy to link with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone software and a 55in head-up display makes key information visible while keeping your eyes on the road ahead.
The rear seats offer great knee room due to the EV-only platform and super-long three-metre plus wheelbase. Opening up the large fastback-style hatch reveals a practical-to-access 509-litre boot space, with 1,388 litres possible when rear seats are folded. A 31-litre space under the bonnet is a good place to hide this EV’s charging cables and Lotus makes much of the car’s quick recharging potential – 10-80 per cent in 14 minutes using a 400kW DC fast charger – or 0-100 per cent in 5.5 hours via a more commonplace 22kW AC wallbox.
All models employ the same 102kWh battery and Lotus says its entry-level, single-speed 820hp version offers a 379-mile range, while the equivalent-power mid-range Emeya S provides 336 miles and the high-performance two-speed Emeya R has a range of 270 miles.
All-wheel drive with intelligent torque distribution and electronically controlled air suspension comes as standard, as does excellent responsive steering and brakes, to collectively ensure that whatever Emeya you choose, you’re in for a genuinely engaging drive and a guaranteed smile-on-your-face experience. First deliveries are due in Europe from late summer 2024.
Lotus Emeya, from £89,500, LotusCars.com, @LotusCars
Guy Bird is a London-based writer, editor and consultant specialising in cars and car design, but also covers aviation, architecture, street art, sneakers and music. His journalistic experience spans more than 25 years in the UK and global industry. See more at www.guybird.com
-
‘The United States of América’: how Willy Chavarria is rewriting American fashion
Wallpaper* catches up with Willy Chavarria, who staged his latest show, ‘América’, in a disused bank on New York’s Wall Street yesterday evening (September 6 2024)
By Ann Binlot Published
-
Designer India Mahdavi on her perfect restaurant experience
As part of Laila Gohar's guest editorship, she asked friends in the industry and her wider creative circle to relive their perfect restaurant experience. Here, designer India Mahdavi recounts a perfect night dining under the pitch-black Egyptian sky
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Mark Armijo McKnight’s bodily landscapes capture the tactile serenity of the American West
The artist’s new exhibition at the Whitney Museum, which is organised by the museum curator Drew Sawyer, offers a succinct window into his contemplative suggestion of queering a landscape
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Specialist car-maker Ariel explorers the power of electrification with the E-Nomad concept
The Ariel E-Nomad is an all-electric, go-anywhere sports car concept for the dedicated enthusiast. Could it be the shape of sporting EVs to come?
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A new exhibition at Los Angeles’ Petersen Auto Museum charts the rocky road to electric cars
‘Alternating Currents: The Fall and Rise of Electric Vehicles’ brings together EVs old and new, from forgotten prototypes to legendary innovations. We take a tour
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Four tiny electric motors offer a space-saving take on modern urban transport
This quartet of ultra-compact city cars prove that big is definitely not better when it comes to last mile, last minute short haul travel in a built up area
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
We take Audi’s new Q6 e-tron quattro around and across the fjords of Norway
The new Audi Q6 e-tron quattro is a pure EV that marks a new design direction for the German brand, setting new tech standards along the way. Transportation Editor, Jonathan Bell, takes it for a drive
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
We sample the latest sports car from bespoke British manufacturer Theon Design
With the GBR002, Theon Design have transformed a classic Porsche into a low-key bespoke supercar, uprating and enhancing the iconic 964 model to exacting customer specifications
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Can Lotus' mighty flagship SUV live up to the hype? We try out the Lotus Eletre R for size
Is day-to-day life with a 905hp electric SUV a delight or a disappointment? A fortnight with a Lotus Eletre R provides the answers
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
With the Lucid Air and now the Lucid Gravity, the Californian EV maker is redefining luxury
As the Lucid Gravity debuts, Derek Jenkins, Lucid Motors’ SVP of Brand and Design, discusses the EV company's approach to shaping high-end, high-performance electric cars
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Cadillac SOLLEI Concept journeys on to the higher reaches of the auto market
Cadillac describes its all-electric four-seater convertible concept as an ‘ode to the sun’ as it moves even further upmarket
By Jonathan Bell Published