2,000-HP Lotus Evija Hypercar Suffers A Huge Setback

Lotus blew us away when it lifted the wraps off the Evija last year. With its 2,000 kW battery and two electric motors producing 1,972 horsepower and 1,253 lb-ft of torque combined, the electric hypercar is the most powerful production car in the world. The publicity seemed to work because the Evijasold out for the 2020 model year, despite it costing over $2 million.

Originally, deliveries of theLotus Evijawere scheduled to start later this year, but Autocar reports that customers who have placed an order will have to wait a little longer to get behind the wheel of this extraordinary machine because it's arriving later than planned. Due to the disruption caused by the global pandemic, the Lotus Evija will now launch five months later than planned, meaning it won't arrive until mid-2021.

Lotus boss Phil Popham explained how local lockdowns, travel restrictions and quarantines have prevented Lotus from testing its fourEvija prototypesaround the world to see how the components cope in extreme conditions. This left Lotus with no choice but to delay the launch to ensure the hypercar lives up to expectations. A letter has already been sent to customers announcing the delay.

"We have lost five months of testing, mainly in continental Europe," Popham said. "We have missed hot weather testing in Spain. It's not as simple as moving everything to the right as you have to book facilities and there's a queue, with everyone in the same boat."

Popham added that testing locations for the Evija are still being finalzed, but Lotus is pouring extra resources into the development to prepare the car for production. Further delays haven't been ruled out either due to the ongoing pandemic.

It's not all bad news, however, because Lotus has used the extra development time to further improve the aerodynamics and downforce. Engineers have also discovered the engine has an output of over 2,000 horsepower, up from 1,973 hp last year. Production of the Lotus Evija is limited to 130 units, but Popham revealed that Lotus is in talks with 70 potential buyers, many of which have placed a deposit. Theall-new Lotus sports carhas not been affected by the pandemic, however.