In an electrifying development, a tuning shop called OnPoint Dyno has built an electric Lotus Evora using components from a Chevrolet Volt and a Tesla Model S. The result is a car known as Blue Lightning, and it’s as quick as it is green.
This isn’t the first time a Lotus has gone electric. The Tesla Roadster was based on the Lotus Elise, and so is the Detroit Electric SP:01. But the Blue Lightning shows what individual builders can do with the right knowledge and parts.
The car uses the drive unit from a Model S and a Volt battery pack. It makes about 450 horsepower, 50 hp more than the most powerful production Evora. Because this car is electric, all of the power is available from zero rpm, making for brutal acceleration. Stocky Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tires help put all of that power to the pavement without spinning.
Like the stock Evora, the Blue Lightning is rear-wheel drive, and the Chevy Volt battery pack is mounted in the middle of the car, where the stock version’s Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 usually resides. The Blue Lightning also sports regenerative braking, controlled using a paddle on the steering column, similar to some General Motors electric cars. Regenerative braking is robust enough that the driver doesn’t actually have to use the brake pedal most of the time.
The Blue Lightning was built primarily for track use, and OnPoint reckons it can run for three or four laps on maximum attack before needing a recharge. That may not sound like much, but OnPoint feels that will be adequate for the time-attack events it plans to run the car in. At a more sensible pace on the road, OnPoint is aiming for a range of 124 miles per charge. The car is equipped for DC fast charging, which can charge most battery packs to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes.
While the car is roadworthy, some work remains to be done. OnPoint plans to build a cover for the battery pack and drive unit, both for aesthetic reasons and to mask the noise produced by the motor. The car also currently lacks power steering, and there is a hole where the shifter is supposed to be.
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