Lotus has claimed that the Emira will be its last car powered by internal combustion, with the plan to go all electric by 2028. There are some rumors that this move could be delayed, but the overall trajectory has not changed, particularly given the focus of Chinese parent company Geely. But Lotus’s hallmark is sportiness through low weight rather than sheer power, which is the exact opposite of hefty battery-laden EVs. So I took the Lotus Emira for an extended test drive to find out exactly what the company needs to replicate in electric form.
Test Driving The Lotus Emira
The Lotus Emira you’re supposed to want is the 3.5-liter supercharged Toyota-derived V6 with a manual gearbox, which has had rave reviews as one of the best-driving cars from the brand ever. However, I deliberately chose the one you’re not supposed to like, which has a 2-liter inline 4-cylinder engine. The power and performance differences are not that great. The V6 has 400hp, whereas the I4 has 360hp. This means that the V6 takes 4.2 seconds to hit 60mph, whereas the I4 takes 4.3 seconds. The top speeds are 180mph and 171mph respectively.
However, the I4 is only available with an automatic gearbox, which is the main reason why purists say you should go for the V6. It’s a dual-clutch system with eight gears, sourced from AMG like the I4 motor itself (it’s the same one as a Mercedes A45, but with a little less power). The reason why I chose this was to get a driving experience more like an EV. No EV will have a manual gearbox – there isn’t any point considering the torque curve of electric motors. A few EVs, most notably the Porsche Taycan, have a second gear to promote efficiency at speed. But we will have to say goodbye to gear changing, rev matching and heel-and-toe in the move to EVs. It’s inevitable.
Those who plan to do a lot of track days will have more fun with the manual V6 version of the Emira. But it always feels like a waste to own a beautiful car you rarely ever use. Having owned a manual classic sports car with a heavy clutch for about 13 years, they’re not ideal for London traffic, although your left ankle will be considerably strengthened. Sheepishly, I have to admit, that one of the things I love about the EV I regularly drive and own is how little you have to do to make it go fast. On one level, it’s less involving, but it leaves your attention available to concentrate on other aspects of driving. It also makes opportunistic overtakes a doddle.
Whichever Emira you choose, it doesn’t change the fact that this car is drop-dead gorgeous. You’d be hard pushed to find a Lotus sportscar that doesn’t look good, but the Emira is one of the best, even amongst its illustrious stablemates. A sleek mid-engined profile with gaping vents by the rear wheels delivers classic Lotus looks, with a fierce nose that is accentuated by gaps either side of the front bonnet (or hood for American readers). You’re not meant to open this panel under normal circumstances, because there is no engine under here (of course) and no luggage space. You get a minimal space in the rear (151 liters), but that can also get warm, so won’t be ideal for your next shopping trip to the cheese shop, although it might benefit picking up takeaways.
Lotus has also gone against type with the interior. While Lotus exteriors have never disappointed in appearance, the interiors have been a different story. Generally collected from other manufacturers’ parts bins, they often felt cheap and inappropriate for cars this fast. Not so the Emira. This is still quite a minimalist cockpit, but it feels modern (some argue more so than competitors such as the Porsche Cayman) and includes a decent infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay.
In other words, the Emira is a pleasant car to be in and not something you endure because it’s fun to drive. Despite the lack of a gearstick, there’s still a lot of fun to be had with the automatic box too. You can have a “flappy paddle” manual experience with the Emira i4, dropping down a gear for an overtake. There are also three drive modes – Touring, Sport and Track. These adjust handling, suspension and engine, with Touring softening the springs and dampening, with a lower center of gravity for stability. Sport stiffens the springs and dampers, with increased camber and toe angles for grip. The throttle response is increased, with a higher rev limit, and the exhaust is (noticeably) louder. Track mode is essentially “more of the same” but also enables you to turn off ESC and traction control. If you want to get the maximum acceleration, you’ll need to use this mode.
For everyday driving on British roads, it’s a great set of options. Drive about town or on the highway in Touring mode for greatest smoothness and efficiency. Dial up to Sport for a twisty A-road in dry weather. And if you do head to the track, there’s a mode to enhance that experience as well. I didn’t try the Track option a lot (it’s rather noisy for passengers), but when I did, there was a lot of fun to be had. The flappy paddle gearbox and setup aren’t as good as in the Maserati MC20, but it’s up there. The only real criticism I have is that the Emira i4 is a bit slow to get into reverse, which makes parking a bit more painful than it should be.
Handling is, of course, sublime. My test car had the Tour rather than the Sport chassis. While the latter is the choice if you do want to head to the track a lot, the Tour option is much easier to live with on a daily basis, and still more than good enough for an engaging experience. The steering on the Emira is incredibly assured and responsive. Unless you turn off traction and ESC, the roadholding is about assured as it could be. The sense that the Emira will do what you ask and go where you direct is amongst the best of any car I’ve driven.
Another amazing feature of the I4 is how economical it is. During my test driving, which remained legal for British roads but was generally spirited, the car still delivered 38mpg (32 miles per US gallon) across a mix of motorway, A-road and urban driving. That’s a stunning result considering how fast this car is and that it has no hybrid system. Prices start at £81,495 ($99,000), which isn’t as low as had originally been expected, but around the same as the equivalent Porsche Cayman.
The Weight Problem For An Electric Lotus Emira
The Lotus Emira is an incredible sportscar, a pinnacle of engineering excellence that shows the validity of trying to keep the weight down with a combustion-powered vehicle. But how can Lotus replicate this joyful experience in the electric era, where two tons are more the norm? So far, the electric Lotus range consists of the Evija hypercar, Eletre SUV, and the much-praised Emeya luxury sedan. It’s obvious why none of these are low-weight cars epitomized by the legendary Elise. This has not been possible with current battery technology. The original Tesla Roadster was over 1,200kg, compared to the 700-800kg of the Elise it was based on.
Lotus has teased its new direction with the Theory 1, although this is very much a concept rather than anything we will see on the road. The target is “under 1,600kg” for this car, but that’s still twice what most Elises have weighed throughout their 25-year production run. The Theory 1 also looks like it will be more in Evija than Elise territory. Last year, Lotus was saying its first mainstream electric sportscar would arrive in 2027, at a price rumored to be around £75,000. This is the Type 135 (actual name not yet revealed – the Emira is the Type 131). However, more recently Lotus has said this timeframe could slip depending on battery technology.
The Emira is already considered quite heavy at 1,446kg (the V6 is a bit heavier still). But making a fully equipped EV even with that weight using current technology is problematic. The stylish and desirable MG Cyberster is relentlessly quick in a straight line, but the single-motor version weighs 1850kg and the dual-motor 1,984kg. This is a great car to drive daily or long distance but it’s not a focused sportscar like the Emira.
The Caterham EV Seven is a 700kg electric sportscar with a 51kWh battery, but it’s intended primarily for track use. Caterham has also recently showcased a more road-oriented coupe using XING Mobility’s IMMERSIO CTP technology, called Project V. This will reportedly have a 55kWh battery and weigh just 1,190kg. That’s more what Lotus should be aiming for with the Type 135, but to have the Emira’s GT capabilities, it will need a bigger battery and at least 300 miles of range.
There is, of course, the under-1,000kg McMurtry Spéirling, clearly only meant for track use. Rimac’s Nevera is the most exciting EV I’ve driven, but that’s a $2 million hypercar that can accelerate to 60mph in 1.8 seconds. It also weighs 2,300kg, which it handles around a track incredibly well. But that’s not what a Lotus sportscar is all about. It’s meant to be brilliant on track, but with the ability to get you there and back as well, and not priced like a hypercar.
When Will We See An Electric Lotus Emira?
The question is not just when Lotus can replicate a car like the Emira in electric form, but whether it’s going to be possible at all. The battery in a Tesla Model 3 Long Range weighs around 480kg. While electric motors tend to be considerably lighter than internal combustion engines, that’s not enough to make up the difference. A full 52.5-liter tank of fuel in the Emira is less than 40kg.
In other words, we’d probably need battery energy density to increase nearly tenfold before an electric version of the current Lotus Emira can deliver similar handling to the combustion version. Until then, the choice will be similar dynamics but without the grand touring range, or the ability to deliver longer distances but not the same agility. Either could be great experiences, but you won’t get both at the same time just yet, which shows how much automotive electrification is disrupting norms and posing hard choices for carmakers.
