Another Electric Lotus

Detroit Electric Comes Back From The Dead To Make Yet Another Electric Lotus

Story by Travis Okulski

Without even making an electric car themselves, Lotus has inadvertently made quite a few over the years. First there was the Tesla Roadster. Then Chrysler had the Europa based Circuit EV. There was a Detroit Electric-branded Elise a few years back. And now Detroit Electric is attempting a comeback with a limited edition sports car. And yes, it’s another Lotus.

It does make sense that they’d use a Lotus. The lightweight construction will keep the weight reasonable after the heavy electric drivetrain is added. Also, Detroit Electric is run by former Lotus man Albert Lam, which gives them an inside line to the cars. The puzzle pieces keep coming together.

The Lotus used this time looks to be the brand new Exige S.

A stock Exige S has a supercharged Toyota V6 which is good for 350 horsepower and some spine tingling good times behind the wheel.

The Detroit Electric version will have electric motors (duh) in place of the V6. They are yet to say what the power or weight gain will be, but I imagine they want it to be fast.

Another sticking point is the platform in itself: The Exige is not street legal in the USA because its airbags don’t meet stringent federal regulations. If they replace the airbags and add an electric drivetrain, the Detroit Electric car will be a good hunk more expensive than the $75,000 Exige.

Detroit Electric has some aggressive plans for how they’re going to restart the company. They’re planning on building a facility in Michigan that can produce 2,500 cars each year. The Electric Exige will be officially unveiled in Michigan next month and then sent to Shanghai.

More power to them, hope it works out.