Lotus introduces its Theory 1 EV concept

Lotus unveiled its Theory 1 EV supercar concept, signaling its long-term commitment to going fully electric. The car has a sporty, aggressive design with reverse-swinging, upward-opening doors. The Theory 1 is also Lotus going back to its roots, because the car's target weight is under 3,500 lb. That's far lighter than what we've seen recently from the company, like the Lotus Eletre.

That's probably the reason why Lotus chose a modest 70 kWh battery to supply the Theory 1's needs and should be good enough for 260 miles of range away from the plug. The all-wheel drivetrain and the powerful electric motors output 987 hp and take less than 2.5 seconds to do the 0-100 km/h sprint.

The exterior is pretty interesting, specifically the back of the car. It has extremely thin taillights, tall retractable spoiler and a huge diffuser. We can't think of a back design that's similar to the Theory 1.

Theory 1's interior is arguably even more interesting. Since the car is based on a huge carbon tub, the interior has a central seat for the driver and two individual passenger seats on the second row to keep the weight low.

Two heads-up displays replace the sideview mirrors, since the car relies on cameras instead of mirrors, while inflatable pods embedded into the driver seat's fabric provide tactile feedback and massage functions. The seats have built-in speakers as well.

But the pods are part of a brand new tech designed by MotorSkins. The pods inflate and give the driver feedback, like a tap on the shoulder if a car is coming close from behind. Moreover, inflatable pods can be found around the cabin serving as "disappearing buttons". The idea behind it is to keep the interior clutter-less and buttons will appear only when you need them. For example, a button will appear when you have an incoming call.

Remember, though, this is a concept and Theory 1 may end up completely different when its market-ready or only parts of the concept will appear in future Lotus models. Either way, the MotorSkins tech sounds very interesting and it will be cool to see it in action.

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