Lotus has won government funding as head of an engineering partnership that will develop the next generation of battery-electric vehicles.
The actual amount, which will come from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, is under wraps, but Lotus told Car Dealer today (Oct 2) that it was a ‘significant’ sum.
The announcement was made today by the Advanced Propulsion Centre, which said it was one of 12 demonstrator projects to have won its Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator competition.
Called LEVA, which stands for Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture, it will incorporate cutting-edge UK-based engineering and digital manufacturing expertise, and will act as a showcase for pioneering new BEV chassis and powertrain concepts.
Lotus said it would be working with supply chain partner Sarginsons Industries and leading academics from Brunel University London to harness the full ‘light-weighting’ potential of the vehicle architecture.
Matt Windle, executive director of engineering at Lotus, said: ‘This is great news for our industry and its transition to electrification.
‘As a collaboration between Lotus, Sarginsons Industries and Brunel University London, there is a wealth of talent involved, and we are excited to have already begun the project work.
‘Following the launch of the Lotus Evija, our all-electric 2,000 PS hypercar, this project is a key building block in our vision to deliver a full range of electrified Lotus performance cars “For The Drivers”.
‘Funding of this nature is critical to stimulate the automotive industry and supply chain, as both continue to adjust to a rapidly changing landscape.’
More details about LEVA are to be released in due course.
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