Lotus launches charging solutions for electric vehicles

Lotus has launched its own electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions including an ultra-fast 450 kW DC charger, power cabinet and a modular unit for charging up to four vehicles at once.

The new suite of EV charging solutions designed for businesses includes a liquid-cooled all-in-one dc charger which can add up to 88.5 miles or 142 km of range with approximately five minutes of charge while a 10% to 80% charge can be achieved in just 20 minutes with a range extension of 74 miles or 120 kilometres from a 5-minute charge when using a 350 kW rapid charger.

The suite includes a modular power cabinet that is suited for spaces that require high energy in order to increase efficiency and minimise charging time, such as motorway rest stops. It offers market-leading power output capabilities of up to 480 kW and a charging terminal, which when used with the liquid-cooled power cabinet, can charge up to four vehicles at once. The unit has a maximum current output of 600 Amp.

Lotus’ fast-charging solutions have already been deployed in China and are expected to roll out across the majority of European countries and Middle East in the second half of 2024.

Lotus said it has futureproofed its charging offering, which is expected to be the next step forward in fast charging when the infrastructure becomes readily available and that customers will be able to upgrade to this power output without additional hardware costs once in-market service providers rollout grid upgrades. 

Mike Johnstone, chief commercial officer at Lotus Group, said: “Over the past six years, Lotus has been investing in the technology and infrastructure to accelerate the transition to electrification. We want to make it easier than ever to own an electric vehicle and with our latest offerings, Lotus is able to provide customers with the confidence to access easy, fast, and efficient charging.” 

Alan Wang, vice-president of Lotus Technology and CEO at Lotus Flash Charge, said: “As more governments are increasing investment into electrification in their journey to net-zero, the demand for a reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure has never been higher than before. Lotus has developed best-in-class fast charging solutions to deliver a quick and reliable charging experience to meet customer needs.” 

In 2018, Lotus announced its Vision80 strategy and plans to transform the brand from a British sports car maker to an all-electric global luxury technology brand by 2028. As part of this transition, the company is committed to developing its own range of EV charging solutions.

The company launched its first electric hyper-SUV Eletre in 2022, with customer deliveries across UK, Europe and China taking place this year. Lotus recently launched Emeya, its next-generation electric hyper-GT, in early September 2023. 

Lotus said it has an orderbook of over 19,000 vehicles for its Emira sports car and Eletre hyper-SUV. The company has ramped up production this year, having had a record-breaking first half of 2023, and expects the full year to outperform all previous years.