All-electric Lotus sports car will launch in 2026, Australia plans unknown

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British sports car maker Lotus has announced that it will enter a partnership with battery maker Britishvolt this year, while teasing a sketch of a future fully electric sports car that will utilise the firm’s battery pack. 

The sketch bears a similarity to the silhouette of the Lotus Esprit which was sold by the company in the seventies and eighties. If this is an electric revival of the Esprit, there will surely be plenty of interest in the as-yet unnamed EV sports car.

The new electric Lotus model will supplement the firm’s final combustion vehicle – the Emira – and it will debut in 2026, built in the UK and sitting atop an EV architecture developed by Lotus called E-Sports. This car will sit alongside the petrol-powered Emira until such time that it will need to be retired (due to emissions regulations estimated around 2030). 

Lotus has already confirmed that the Emira will be the last combustion engine model to be produced by the company, with every car thereafter being fully electric. 

What else is in Lotus’ electric plans?

The next Lotus production car will be the electric Type 132 large SUV that will be built in China, with Lotus set to leverage the production capabilities of its Chinese owner, Geely – the same firm that owns Volvo and Polestar. The Type 132 will be revealed fully in the coming months, according to Lotus. 

A midsize SUV and four-door GT car will also follow with time, with this practical pair likely to be released closer to 2025.

To power the new electric cars, Lotus will partner with battery manufacturer Britishvolt which will produce a battery cell package used in all electric Lotus models going forward. 

For the new mystery sports car, it’ll be mounted over the rear subframe in a layout called LEVA – which will give similar driving characteristics to a mid-engined ICE car.

The batteries are stacked vertically behind the driver rather than laid across the floor like in a traditional skateboard layout used in many modern electric vehicles. 

The partnership with Britishvolt will bring 3000 direct highly skilled jobs to Northumberland, with an additional 5000+ jobs in associated supply chains.

Lotus has invested a further 100 million pounds in its UK production facilities which includes manufacturing facilities in Hethel for the Lotus Evija hypercar and the Emira sports car.