Lotus supercars to get custom batteries

Battery pioneer Britishvolt, the United Kingdom's foremost investor in battery cell technologies, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Lotus to develop tailor-made battery cells to go into electric vehicles produced by the premier UK sportscar manufacturer.

"Britishvolt is excited to be working with such a prestigious and highly acclaimed OEM as Lotus," said Britishvolt Chief Commercial Officer Oliver Jones. "This MoU demonstrates that the legacy one-size-fits-all cell strategy is no longer valid in the rapidly developing electric mobility market. It also reinforces Britishvolt's differentiation strategy of close customer intimacy and partnering to fully optimize battery solutions and enable the differentiation so important to these iconic brands and products."

It was reported the companies would collaborate on integrating cell formats and chemistries that provide enhanced energy density and power capability, fast-charging and other specifications intended to perfectly highlight Britishvolt's business model of tailoring cells to meet the exacting requirements of its automaker customers on the transition to electrification.

The partnership is expected to see Britishvolt and Lotus develop a Lotus electric supercar, powered by Britishvolt cells and with advanced electric propulsion technologies designed by Lotus.

"Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver," said Matt Windle, Lotus cars managing director. "These are the first exciting steps on the journey towards an all-new electric sports car from Lotus."

Development work on the project will benefit from the close proximity of Lotus and Britishvolt's research and development centers of excellence in the West Midlands, the UK's 'Golden Triangle' of battery development.

"Last year we committed Lotus to a pure electric future, and in the first month of this year we announce another significant step on that journey. In the coming months we will be unveiling the Type 132, an all-new and all-electric Lotus SUV and we've confirmed three more EVs are on the way," added Windle.

The collaboration with Britishvolt is another significant development in the ongoing transformation of Lotus, from a UK sports car company to a global and all-electric performance car business and brand.

It follows a 100-million-pound (US$135 million) investment by Lotus in its UK facilities, which includes manufacturing centers at Hethel for the Evija pure-electric hypercar and Emira sports car – future-proofing the world-renowned and innovative UK high-performance auto sector.