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Tech inside new Lotus Eletre EV hints at autonomous driving ambitions – TechCrunch


Lotus announced on Tuesday a battery-powered “super” SUV called the Eletre – the first of a trio of EVs that Lotus plans to launch within the next four years.

Result? The Eletre, which means “come to life”, is the British brand’s first utility vehicle and plays a key role in the expected boom in demand for battery-electric luxury SUVs. . The car’s design and luxurious interior features are remarkable. But it’s some of the car’s tech, including four flap sensors that pop out when needed, that provide the best glimpse of what Lotus has in store for the future.

First the basics. The company, which is owned by Geely Automotive and Malaysia’s Etika Automotive group, is packing power, torque and some good batteries.

The Eletre features an 800-volt electrical architecture, allowing for fast charging without degrading the battery. There are two electric motors, one on each axle, making a minimum of 600 horsepower and allowing the SUV to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds. Lotus says its battery pack, which will have a storage capacity of more than 100 kilowatts, will allow the Eletre to travel 373 miles on a single charge on a European WLTP cycle. The 350 kilowatt charger can go an extra 248 miles in 20 minutes.

The Eletre comes with four drive modes, including one for off-road, which adjusts the steering, damper settings, powertrain and accelerator pedal response. Additional hardware and features can be added, such as optional 23-inch wheels, active cruise height, active rear-wheel steering, active anti-roll bars and torque-through torque. brake.

The car will go into production at Lotus’ new facility in Wuhan, China later this year.

Lotus Eletre EV

Image credits: Lotus flower

As Lotus’ first SUV and EV, the new model “heralds a pivotal moment in our history and a clear signal of our desire to continually transform our business,” according to the company. Lotus Cars chief executive officer, Matt Windle.

The aim, of course, is for this pivotal moment in history to turn into a vital profit in the future.

Lotus has not shared pricing information with Eletre, making it difficult to pinpoint its competitors. Depending on its price point, it could compete with the Tesla Model X or some of the more premium SUVs that have registered as best sellers for luxury brands, from Lamborghini to Aston Martin.

There is a growing list of potential competitors. Last week, Maserati announced plans to launch two electric SUVs: a battery-powered version of the Levante midsize SUV and an all-new compact crossover called the Grecale. Ferrari’s first SUV, the $300,000 Purosangue, is expected to launch later this year.

Notably, Lotus has “future-proofed” the Eletre with sensors and other hardware that can be activated via an over-the-air software update to improve or add features to the driver assistance system. its advanced car.

Lidar, the range and light-detection sensors often considered the key to safely deploying autonomous vehicles, is starting to be adopted by automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and now Mercedes-Benz. Lotus. These automakers see lidar as a necessary sensor to provide redundancy for specific and limited autonomous driving features rather than full autonomy. At least not yet.

Lotus Eletre EV

Image credits: Lotus flower

This seems to be how Lotus intends to use lidar in Eletre. Lotus plans to use four lidar sensors, which can be “deployed” or popped out as needed. Lotus says the sensors on the bonnet are hidden when not needed, “only appearing from the top of the windshield, above the rear window, and from the front wheel arches when needed.”

This lidar sensing system will eventually allow the vehicle to enter and exit the parking spot via a smartphone app. But comments from Maximilian Szwaj, vice president of Lotus Technology and chief executive officer of the Lotus Technology Innovation Center in Germany, suggest the company is thinking beyond parking spaces.

“ADAS technologies such as LIDAR sensors and cameras will become increasingly ubiquitous in new cars as we move into a more autonomous era,” he said in a statement, adding that the vehicle has a technology for today and tomorrow.

The vehicle will also have a camera-based mirror system, which current US regulations prohibit. Three different cameras are for the rearview mirror, a second for a 360-degree view of the vehicle from above for parking assistance, and a third for an advanced driver assistance system. Lotus says the cameras work in tandem with the lidar system to provide “autonomous driving capabilities”.

Lotus didn’t provide more detail on what “autonomous driving capability” means beyond parking aspirations. While the hardware Lotus describes is state-of-the-art, there are still many challenges to overcome – including a system with computing power and software as well as an intuitive user experience – before a vehicle can be built. can have efficient and safe autonomous driving features.

But the four lidar sensors and three cameras indicate the company’s aspirations to expand into other conditional or limited autonomous driving features.

Lotus Eletre EV

Image credits: Lotus flower

Other innovations include what the company calls porosity, the principle that air flows through the vehicle as well as underneath, outside and around it. for better aerodynamics, range and efficiency. Lotus leans towards softness when designing Evija hypercar and Emira.

Now that Eletre has it, it shows that this design innovation is here to stay. Some of the more obvious examples of these air channels can be seen in the lower grille, front fenders and near the taillights.

The grille is particularly interesting, and includes a network of interconnected triangular petals that close when the vehicle is stationary or if drag is needed during driving. They open to feed air into the radiator, allowing the Eletre to “breathe” when it needs to cool the electric motor, battery pack and front brake, according to Lotus.



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