Lotus Range Extender

This week’s Geneva show brought a production-ready version of the company’s range-extending motor/generator setup and the announcement that Lotus developed the powertrain for Rolls-Royce’s Phantom EV.

Announced in late 2009, the three-cylinder range extender has now sprouted a supercharged variant and is ready for sale to automakers as a drop-in solution for EV battery charging. Lotus is able to use a simple two-valve-per-cylinder design since the motor is designed for use in an optimized speed range. This, along with the integrated intake and exhaust manifolds, helps keep weight down. Power from the 1.3-liter engine is rated at 47 hp at 3500 rpm for the naturally aspirated model and 67 hp for the supercharged version. Both drive a generator supplied by Fagor Automation, providing power for the batteries of the OEM’s choosing. In Geneva, Lotus showed the system installed in its Evora 414Evolution hybrid concept.

Lotus Esprit

Why it matters: It’s a mid-engine, aluminum supercar designed to take on Ferrari and Lamborghini. Lotus’s move upmarket is a huge gamble for the brand.

Platform: A new alloy structure that shares a number of components with its somewhat less extreme sister model, the Lotus Elan.

Powertrain: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform with a V-8 engine of as-yet-undetermined origin. The V-8 is expected to make about 550 horsepower; a hybrid system should lift output to 620 horsepower.

Competition: Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo.

What might go wrong: Everything. This is Lotus, after all. Minor elements such as the source of the engine are still up in the air.

Estimated arrival and price: Lotus says the Esprit will appear in dealerships in early 2013 at a price of
about $175,000.