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The Lotus Theory 1 Concept Is A Three-Seater EV With A Haptic Steering Wheel

Despite having a 70-kilowatt-hour battery, it tips the scales at less than 3,500 pounds.

Lotus Theory 1 Concept

Photo by: Lotus

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Sep 17, 2024 at 8:20am ET

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The Lotus Theory 1 electric concept will act as the starting point for the company's future production cars.
It's a back-to-basics thrill-inducing EV with a central driving position and three seats.
With almost 1,000 hp on tap, it can get to 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds.

The wedge-shaped car you see in the photos embedded below is called the Lotus Theory 1. First things first: it’s a concept car, so don’t expect to see it buzzing down your neighborhood anytime soon, although that would be pretty cool, considering it kind of looks like a road-legal Batmobile.

With that out of the way, here’s what this all-electric two-door is all about. It’s made from a variety of lightweight materials such as cellulose-based glass fiber, recycled chopped carbon fiber, titanium, recycled glazing, recycled polyester, recycled aluminum and more. As a result, the car weighs less than 3,500 pounds, according to Lotus, which isn’t exactly record-setting, but it’s certainly respectable for an EV that can seat three people, has a 70-kilowatt-hour battery pack and can nearly reach 200 miles per hour.

The aforementioned battery sends juice to a 968-horsepower all-wheel drive setup that can propel the Theory 1 from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 2.5 seconds, while the estimated WLTP combined range is 250 miles on a full charge.

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But break-neck EVs aren’t anything new, even for Lotus–just look at the Emeya or Eletre. It’s inside where the Theory 1 stands out, though, with some pretty interesting features and materials.

The steering wheel, which is in the middle of the cockpit, as well as the seating, is covered with an adaptive soft and lightweight robotic textile material made by MotorSkins. It features inflatable pods that will react in real time to offer more grip, support and subtle prompts for things like upcoming turns. The headrests of the razor-thin seats also feature binaural audio tech made in collaboration with Kef to offer bespoke soundscapes for each of the occupants.

Lotus said the Theory 1 concept is also equipped with the necessary hardware for Level 4 advanced driving assistance, including four deployable lidars, six high-definition cameras and a combination of long- and short-range millimeter radars and ultrasonic radars that deliver a 360-degree digital view.

Gallery: Lotus Theory 1 Concept

Lotus Theory 1 Concept

Source: Lotus

The driver is notified about upcoming turns, dangers and everything else through an extensive user experience system that incorporates haptic feedback, LED and laser lights, 2D graphics on the steering wheel and a heads-up display, among others.

To keep things as simple and as light as possible, the rear wing has been mounted directly to the motor and suspension assembly. Furthermore, the motor and battery assembly was designed to act as a stressed member to take the forces directly from the suspension, thus eliminating the need for an additional subframe.

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Getting in and out of the car is pretty important, especially since it’s a three-seater, so Lotus designed a wild reverse-opening and wrap-over design. But as you might have noticed yourself, the whole thing is pretty wild.

Lotus says the Theory 1 concept is the foundation for all its future cars, so while we won’t see the electric three-seater on sale anytime soon, we might see something a little more toned down in the near future.

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