Lotus secures backing from UK Government to develop next-generation Light Weight Electric Vehicle Architecture
An engineering venture that is leading towards innovations in lightweight structures for electric vehicles has been supported by the UK Government.
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The LEVA project - Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture program is being led by sports car manufacturer Lotus and will use UK-based engineering and digital manufacturing to showcase pioneering electric vehicle chassis and powertrain concepts.
The Norfolk-based firm is also working with supply chain partner Sarginsons Industries. It will seek to harness the ‘light-weighting’ potential of an aluminium alloy developed and patented at the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) for use in future advanced automotive architecture.
Professor Shouxun Ji of BCAST, said: “The alloy won a national innovation award in 2017 because of its high strength and ductility.”
“I hope we can now use it to help UK industry realise their goals in advancing automotive manufacturing technology.”
Matt Windle, Executive Director of Engineering at Lotus, said: “This is great news for our industry and its transition to electrification. As a collaboration between Lotus, Sarginsons Industries and Brunel University London there is a wealth of talent involved, and we are excited to have already begun the project work.”
“Following the launch of the Lotus Evija, our all-electric hypercar, this project is a key building block in our vision to deliver a full range of electrified Lotus performance cars for the Drivers.”
“Funding of this nature is critical to stimulate the automotive industry and supply chain as both continue to adjust to a rapidly changing landscape.”
Lotus has a long-standing reputation for building sports cars that focus on reducing weight as much as possible. The Lotus Evija is its first electric car and will have an estimated 1,972bhp, top speed over 200mph, and a range of 215 miles.
Note to readers: AlCircle brings two-day event for aluminium industry players. We look forward to meeting you virtually at “Global Aluminium Expo 2020”on October 6-7, 2020. For registration, visit www.alcircleevents.com
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