Just saw this report with more info than I've seen before about the Lotus Type 135:
I've been watching all the EV sports car developments, pondering a replacement for my loved-but-aging Roadster. Probably the top front runners are the new Roadster and this new Lotus. So, here are some thoughts. . .
In a lot of ways the new Tesla Roadster looks like the ultimate dream car. To my eyes it's one of the most beautiful sports car designs in decades. And by the numbers, well. . . The specifications are clearly meant to be world-beating, hypercar territory. However, it doesn't seem to carry through much of the spirit of the original Roadster. The new Roadster looks to be bigger, heavier, 2+2 configuration, and maxed-out with technology. (Whereas the original doesn't even have power steering!) The new Roadster is more like a Super Ponycar, a kind of over-the-top Tesla Firebird.
In fact. . . The new Roadster is basically KITT. Go down the specs and features list of KITT from the Knight Rider TV show, and it's basically the new Roadster. I mean, take away the tear gas dispenser and the magical armor that weighs nothing and isn't even scratched by rifle fire. . . But you do get the steering yoke, map display, self driving, incredible acceleration and top speed, etc. (They just need to fold in ChatGPT so it can hold its own in a conversation, haha!)
That's my theory for why Tesla started putting steering yokes in the cars. Because KITT had one.
What Lotus are doing with the Type 135 looks a lot more like a true sequel to the first gen Tesla Roadster. Two seats. Small and lightweight. Emphasis on handling dynamics. This article in Autocar implies that they're patterning it closer to the Elise than the Esprit, which I had thought was more the direction Lotus were going. (The article has two rendered images, one Elise-like and one that is more Esprit-like, but neither of them is attributed, and I don't think either of them are Lotus-provided illustrations of what they're actually working on. The Type 135 hasn't been revealed to the public yet.)
I wonder whether it will have an open top like the Elise and the 1st gen Roadster? This wasn't mentioned in the article, but it matters to me. The Roadster is so much better with the top off, and I don't want to give that up.
Lotus Elise successor to arrive in 2027 at £75,000 | Autocar
Electric sports car – which will also replace the Emira – to have mid-engined-style platform
www.autocar.co.uk
I've been watching all the EV sports car developments, pondering a replacement for my loved-but-aging Roadster. Probably the top front runners are the new Roadster and this new Lotus. So, here are some thoughts. . .
In a lot of ways the new Tesla Roadster looks like the ultimate dream car. To my eyes it's one of the most beautiful sports car designs in decades. And by the numbers, well. . . The specifications are clearly meant to be world-beating, hypercar territory. However, it doesn't seem to carry through much of the spirit of the original Roadster. The new Roadster looks to be bigger, heavier, 2+2 configuration, and maxed-out with technology. (Whereas the original doesn't even have power steering!) The new Roadster is more like a Super Ponycar, a kind of over-the-top Tesla Firebird.
In fact. . . The new Roadster is basically KITT. Go down the specs and features list of KITT from the Knight Rider TV show, and it's basically the new Roadster. I mean, take away the tear gas dispenser and the magical armor that weighs nothing and isn't even scratched by rifle fire. . . But you do get the steering yoke, map display, self driving, incredible acceleration and top speed, etc. (They just need to fold in ChatGPT so it can hold its own in a conversation, haha!)
That's my theory for why Tesla started putting steering yokes in the cars. Because KITT had one.
What Lotus are doing with the Type 135 looks a lot more like a true sequel to the first gen Tesla Roadster. Two seats. Small and lightweight. Emphasis on handling dynamics. This article in Autocar implies that they're patterning it closer to the Elise than the Esprit, which I had thought was more the direction Lotus were going. (The article has two rendered images, one Elise-like and one that is more Esprit-like, but neither of them is attributed, and I don't think either of them are Lotus-provided illustrations of what they're actually working on. The Type 135 hasn't been revealed to the public yet.)
also. . .The E-Sports architecture will host single- and twin-motor powertrains ranging in output from 469bhp to 872bhp.
Yes. Make mine the single-motor, RWD version! I'd rather have fun zipping around back roads in the Hill Country than setting records at the drag strip or on the Nürburgring.The E-Sports platform will accommodate rear- and four-wheel-drive powertrains from the off, although the conceptual applications previewed so far by Lotus all use a rear-mounted drive system.
I wonder whether it will have an open top like the Elise and the 1st gen Roadster? This wasn't mentioned in the article, but it matters to me. The Roadster is so much better with the top off, and I don't want to give that up.
That sounds right in line to me. The smaller battery option would be similar to the upgraded gen 1 Roadster. My old Roadster still running on its original non-upgrade battery can barely charge up to 200 miles capacity now. Give me a factory-fresh battery with 300 miles and the ability to DC fast-charge (with NACS, please!), and I'll be tickled pink. And if it comes in around half the price of the new Tesla Roadster, that's good too.The smallest battery fitted to this platform will be a 66.4kWh unit, which could feasibly offer a range of around 300 miles in a lightweight, low-slung two-seater. The larger, 99.6kWh battery – also available in ‘slab’ or ‘chest’ format – could bump up the range to nearer 450 miles.