Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept At Geneva 2010

The Lotus Evora 414E concept car will debut officially at the Geneva auto show next week, and is claimed to reach 100 km/h in less than four seconds and travel over 482 kilometers. As for how it’ll look, imagine a standard Evora slathered in copper: The chassis remains unchanged from 2+2, thanks to the flexibility of Lotus’s Versatile Vehicle Architecture.

The 414E name comes from the powertrain’s output: 414 metric horsepower. The power comes from two electric motors, one delivering 204 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque to each rear wheel, that operate independently through single-speed reduction transmissions, which live in a single housing. The two-motor set up opens a variety of torque vectoring options to Lotus, from supplanting a typical electronic stability system and limited-slip differential, to mimicking a rear-steering system without the extra mechanical components, to correcting understeer and oversteer.

A 47-horsepower, 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine acts as a supplement — it’s called the “Lotus Range Extender. The mill features an aluminum monoblock construction that integrates the block, head, and exhaust manifold in one casting. The construction means the engine is less expensive to produce, smaller, and has a lower (total weight is 187 pounds). Another plus? Its two-valve, port-fuel injection combustion system supports alcohol-based fuels and gasoline.

The Evora 414E can travel 56 kilometers on battery power alone. After that point, the engine becomes a generator, supplying the motors with electricity and topping off the lithium polymer battery pack that sits in the middle of the chassis. Charging is an overnight affair, and the socket hides under the rear license plate.

Aren’t hybrid cars quite? Well not this one. The Evora is equipped with a sound system that has been developed between Lotus and Harman International, the system uses speakers inside the cabin and on the exterior to imitate engine and gear sounds. Four sound options are available to drivers: V-6, V-12, “futuristic,” and a combination of conventional engine and futuristic. The result, Lotus says, is a better experience for the driver and a safer experience for pedestrians, who will be able to hear the car zipping down the canyon road.