Lotus is showing off the small and economic City Car concept with extended-range capability at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.
This CityCar Concept is not part of the five new Lotus sports cars that will mark a new beginning for the company.
The Lotus City Car concept is based on the Proton EMAS, revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The Lotus City Car concept provides a showcase for Lotus Engineering’s Electrical and Electronic Integration and Efficient Performance competencies, featuring an advanced series hybrid drivetrain with the Lotus Range Extender engine. This innovative concept car highlights the adaptability of the drivetrain technology and the exceptional capability of Lotus Design.
The drivetrain provides the vehicle with an EV range of 60 km (37 miles) from its 14.8 kWh li-ion battery pack to cover the majority of daily journeys operating as a plug-in EV, with the Range Extender engine enabling longer trips and alleviating “range anxiety”. Using Range Extender technology allows the vehicle to be specified with a smaller, lighter and less expensive battery pack than a regular EV.
The 500 km (311 miles) full range and quick refuelling capability of the range extended Lotus City Car concept highlight the flexibility of this technology for use beyond the city environment. The Lotus City Car concept draws on Lotus Engineering’s established core competencies of Electrical and Electronic Integration and Efficient Performance to optimize the highly complex integration of the series hybrid drivetrain.
With a total vehicle weight of less than 1400 kg and 240 Nm of torque instantly available, the Lotus City Car concept has class leading acceleration; 0 – 50 km/h in only 4.5 seconds and 0 – 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) in 9 seconds, when operating as an EV under battery power. The top speed of the Lotus City Car concept is 170 km/h (106 mph), with a charge sustaining top speed of 120 km/h (70 mph) and all this performance is achieved by a drivetrain that returns CO2 emissions of 60 g/km on the ECE-R101 test schedule.
The 1.2 liter, 3 cylinder Lotus Range Extender engine, specifically designed for hybrid vehicle applications, drives a 240 Nm, 54 kW continuous (162 kW peak) generator. The Lotus City Car concept boasts zero emission capability when running in EV mode and in keeping with Lotus Engineering’s focus on sustainable transport, the Range Extender engine is designed for flex-fuel operation on ethanol and methanol as well as regular gasoline.[wzslider height=”400″ lightbox=”true”]
