The Lotus Evija, Explained: 2,012 Horsepower and a New Era at Hethel

Four motors, 93 kWh, and a 130-unit production cap. How the Type 130 turned Lotus into an EV hypercar maker.

The Lotus Evija is the car that announced where Lotus was going. Unveiled in July 2019 under the codename Type 130, it is the first electric vehicle Lotus ever built, developed under Geely ownership, and it entered production in 2023 with output capped at 130 units^[1]. For a company known for lightweight simplicity, it was a statement of intent: Lotus would do electrification, and it would start at the very top.

Four motors, no waiting

The powertrain layout is the Evija’s defining idea. There is one electric motor per wheel, each rated at 375 kW, and together they produce 1,500 kW — 2,039 PS, or 2,012 hp — with 1,704 N⋅m (1,257 lb⋅ft) of torque^[1]. Each motor drives through its own single-speed transmission, giving genuine individual-wheel drive^[1]. Energy comes from a 93 kWh lithium-ion battery, upgraded from the original 70 kWh pack in 2022, good for about 346 km of range^[1].

The numbers land where you would expect. Lotus quotes 0–100 km/h in under 3 seconds, 0–300 km/h in 9.1 seconds, and a top speed of 349 km/h — 217 mph^[1]. Those figures place the Evija among the most powerful production cars ever made^[1].

The shape of the thing

The body is a 2-door coupé with butterfly doors^[1], and the pricing matches the ambition: roughly US$2.3 million before options and taxes^[1]. Within the 130-car run sit special versions — the Lotus NYO Evija and the Evija Fittipaldi^[1] — which give an already scarce car an even scarcer inner circle.

Where it fits in the Lotus story

The Evija matters less as a volume product — it was never that — and more as a marker. It signals the brand’s transition to electrification^[1], arriving just as Lotus consolidated its combustion sports cars into a single model line. The hypercar came first; the rest of the range follows the direction it set.

If you want the complete specification in one place, the full Lotus Evija database page has every figure. And if you want to see whether one of the 130 is actually for sale right now, browse live Evija listings — on a car this rare, availability is the whole story.