Lotus Cars has unveiled the first concept car that it says embodies the future of its intelligent performance vehicles. It launches The Lotus Theory, the company’s new design manifesto that will form the foundation for all its future cars. Theory 1 is based on three core principles—Digital, Natural, and Analog (DNA)—for which Digital represents the immersive, intelligent, and intuitive experience; Natural brings to life emotional, connected, human-centric design; and Analog is the brand’s continuous advancement of performance engineering.

Theory 1 reaffirms the company’s Vision80 commitment to transform into a global performance technology brand, and its innovations are expected to be implemented into future Lotus cars. It is designed to adapt based on driver needs to deliver the ultimate driver experience.

“We want to demonstrate that you don’t need to compromise—with both digital and analog capabilities working harmoniously in the future car,” said Ben Payne, Vice President of Design, at Lotus Group. “In doing this, we are able to bring drivers the best possible immersive driving experience with raw emotion, functionality, and connectivity at the core.”

 

Holistic material design approach

With current cars made of an average of 100 A-surface materials, according to Lotus, company designers started from scratch to build a car with as few materials as possible to get to a more sustainable future and circular economy. Their “Challenge of 10” strategy is intended to push the automotive industry forward and demonstrate the company’s “north star” for future material innovation and a commitment to pure minimalism—a nod to the simplicity of construction and lightweight principles of the company’s “heritage vehicles.”

Theory 1 is designed with only ten main A-surface materials with performance, durability, lightweight, recycled, and recyclable properties. These are cellulose-based fiber, recycled chopped carbon fiber, titanium, recycled glazing, recycled polyester, recycled rubber, elastomeric polyurethane, transparent polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyurethane, and recycled aluminum.

Theory 1 is 4490 mm (176.8 in) long, 2000 mm (78.7 in) wide, and 1140 mm (44.9 in) tall on a 2650-mm (104.3-in) wheelbase. The Theory 1’s tub is made of recycled chop carbon fiber, with a body of cellulose composite and polycarbonate. Its greenhouse uses recycled glass. The total mass is less than 1600 kg (3527 lb).

Lotus worked with Kyocera SLD Laser, Inc. to deliver industry-leading laser lights in both the interior and exterior to deliver a safe, powerful, and advanced lighting system, while drastically reducing component size and weight. This includes next-generation laser wire for the daytime running lights that are less than a millimeter in diameter, and main- and dipped-beam functions are delivered through lenses of 7 x 35 mm (0.3 x 1.4 in).

 

Electric AWD and Lotus DNA chassis dynamics

The Theory 1’s all-wheel-drive powertrain features a 735-kW max power rating for 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration in less than 2.5 s and a 320-km/h (199-mph) top speed. Target technical specifications include a 70-kW·h battery capacity and a WLTP combined range of 402 km (250 mi).

The car is said to extend Lotus’ expertise in engineering to bring drivers an electric car that performs exceptionally, unlocks driver confidence, and makes the experience as fun and engaging as possible. The performance is made possible by advanced aerodynamic techniques including cooling, active rear spoiler, and passive rear underbody that, along with the low center of gravity, enhances stability and increases the vehicle’s feeling of “lightness.”

Inspired by Lotus’ racing heritage, the vehicle’s nose cone has a diffuser and drag-reducing air deflectors to create an air curtain to minimize the car’s wake. A contoured underfloor directs air through low-drag NACA ducts into the cooling system and its outlets create a blown air foil reducing separation and enabling more powerful downforce. The vehicle’s side pods are designed to isolate the turbulent wakes from the attached airflow and guide it rearward.

Inspired by the innovative and successful 1967 Lotus 49 Formula 1 car, the Theory 1’s motor and battery assembly is a stressed unit that takes forces directly from the suspension, reducing complexity and weight and eliminating a subframe.

The rear wing is mounted directly to the motor and suspension assembly to ensure the downforce acts directly on the suspension mounts through to the tires, reducing losses and frontal lift. The rear suspension features a pull-rod design, which delivers a compact package and low center of gravity.

The Theory 1 chassis features front and read double wishbone, active damping, and steer-by-wire. With the ability to adjust steering ratios, speed, and feel, the steer-by-wire is designed to deliver precision and enhanced driver confidence.

Like with the company’s other EVs, the Eletre, Emeya, and Evija, the new car has bespoke Pirelli P Zero ultra-high-performance tires and performance braking systems from AP Racing.

The tires were developed to not only enhance vehicle performance but also limit their environmental impact using Pirelli’s most advanced set of technologies developed for electric cars. The “Elect” tires have a structure and materials that support the weight and the high torque typical of EVs, providing longer durability, less wear, and optimized range. The tires have staggered sizing, with front 265/35 R20 on 20 X 9.5J rims and rear 325/30 R21 tires on 21 X 11.5J rims.

The braking system sourcing continues a long-standing relationship that goes back to the Lotus 49 with AP Racing, which is now part of the Brembo Group. Theory 1 features a “super lightweight,” high-performance carbon ceramic braking system with a near-net monoblock aluminum forged body and an asymmetric design reducing material where not needed. The six-piston calipers clamp 390 x 36 mm (15.4 x 1.4 in) front and rear discs.

The Theory 1 is a three-seat sports car with a central driving position, with a passenger on each side nestled slightly behind the driver. Inspired by motorsports, and maybe the original McLaren F1 supercar, the company says the middle driver’s seat provides the driver with the best possible visibility of the road ahead, as well as easy access to all controls.

The inside of the vehicle structure has also been shaped around the human body, with the seating integrated into the structure. Lotus has designed the car, to respond to the occupant’s body. For instance, the steering wheel and pedals all move towards the driver.

A proprietary sports car door system provides occupants with easy “step-in” access with its reverse-opening and wrap-over design. With this, Lotus has been able to achieve the smallest footprint it can with the doors opened, allowing for the practical use of doors even in narrow spaces. For instance, if a car is parked in a tight 2.4-m (7.8-ft) space, the driver will still be able to get in and out of the vehicle easily—a challenge with similar high-performance sports cars.

 

Immersive driver system

Theory 1 features the Lotuswear immersive system that aims to deliver a personalized experience to every occupant in the car designed to evoke a sense of excitement and connection to the road. Five drive modes—Range, Tour, Sport, Individual, and Track—enhance the driver experience and dynamic ability while aiming to optimize efficiency, performance, and comfort.

It features an adaptive, soft, and lightweight robotic textile material to communicate with the driver and passengers through inflatable pods on the seating and steering wheel that react in real-time to offer more support, grip, and subtle prompts via personalized haptic feedback. For instance, pulses on the left and right sides of the wheel indicate when the driver should make a turn. This component was created with MotorSkins, a startup specializing in textile-based wearable robotics for everyday use. Theory 1 demonstrates its first-time use in the automotive industry.

Lotus worked with 3D printing technology company Carbon on the system’s lattice structure headrests meant to maximize comfort while reducing weight, improving material efficiency, and optimizing aerodynamics.

The headrests feature a binaural audio system designed with KEF for an immersive audio experience. Each offers custom soundscapes for each occupant, that are further enhanced by the subwoofer speaker behind the driver seat. Occupants in the car can enhance “speed sounds” to deliver added thrills; benefit from noise-canceling abilities to improve concentration and enhance the listening experience; and level up entertainment to elevate the audio experience. The binaural audio technology enables channel separation of the sound at each ear, delivering an audio experience that feels as if the occupant is sitting in the middle of a recording studio.

Part of the Lotuswear system is a “technology line,” a functional technology band running inside and outside of the car as a communication device. It includes integrated OLED technology to display multiple vehicle function statuses to the driver and occupants as well as to other road users and pedestrians such as detecting the presence of an object or person close to the vehicle.

The technology line is a homage to the functional joining “band” on the Lotus Esprit launched in 1976 and an evolution of the line of technology in current Eletre and Emeya interior architectures. By grouping the technology all in a singular line throughout the vehicle, Lotus aims to keep the design as minimal and harmonious as possible.

One of its inputs is Lotus’ autonomous driving sensor suite with Level 4 hardware capability consisting of four deployable lidars, six HD cameras, and a combination of long- and short-range millimeter radars, plus ultrasonic radars delivering 360° (5x) perception coverage. This ensures driver confidence by scanning for obstacles at a radius of up to 200 m (650 ft) around the car, even in low light or inclement weather, according to the company. The technology line is built on the high-performance Nvidia Drive compute platform.

 

A benchmark for user experience 

Theory 1 integrates projections, screens, and haptics with Lotus’ new design manifesto to create a “borderless” user experience and provide the driver with information quickly and easily. Key features are designed to enhance drivers’ use of peripheral vision so they do not need to take their eyes off the road and can focus more on driving, minimizing distractions, and further enhancing safety.

In addition to the adaptive inflatable soft textile material by MotorSkins, a digital system uses intelligent environmental light, LED (light-emitting diode), and laser-light components and reflections on the windscreen to communicate information with the driver such as obstacle detection, braking, and turns. Two laser lights on the dashboard ends indicate left and right turns, working with the haptic inflation seat materials. Other RGB LEDs on the suspension modules, which are visible from the interior, display green or red signals, depending on the need for braking or acceleration.

The 2D graphics displaying main data on the steering wheel, ERMDs (electric reverse mirror displays), and head-up display are designed with simplicity, using the minimum amount of fonts and graphical elements. Immersive 3D graphics, for which a grid of points evolve into lines that change length, color, and direction according to vehicle speed, braking, turning, and drive modes is a homage to the Arte Programmata movement from the 1960s.

 

Lotus says that Theory 1 is not for sale. However, the concept car is “a canvas” for its design and R&D programs, and the intent for the technology and innovation exploring future implementation across its product lineup including lifestyle EVs and sportscars.