Lotus announces Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Group

Just last week we saw a product of Lotus Engineering's focus on hybrid and electric vehicle technology with a device that synthesizes the sound of a petrol engine for cars that are so quiet they pose a danger to pedestrians. Far more than a simple noise maker, the device actually makes the car sound real. Today Lotus announces the formation of the Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Group to further support the company's work in pioneering technologies for this emerging automotive field.

Although Lotus Engineering has been working on projects that would fall under this umbrella for some time, the formalization of the group will help to entrench Lotus as a leader in the field of green transport engineering, hopes Group Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley. That reputation will be built on the already significant foundations of Lotus's contract production of the Telsa electric sports car and other, smaller projects for its engineering clients like the Lotus EVE (Efficient, Viable, Environmental) hybrid tech demo or the Low CO2 project working with Continental Division Powertrain (CDP).

The Low CO2 project is essentially a replacement engine with optimized specifications. In the study joined with CDP, Lotus demonstrated a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions by isntalling a 1.5L three-cylinder motor coupled to a mild hybrid system. With Lotus due for a few new models in the coming years, and parent Proton releasing new vehicles as well, the formation of this group and implementation of its technologies could lead to some interesting production vehicles.