Lotus once promised to go fully electric by 2028. That plan is dead. To spearhead the new direction, the brand is releasing the Eletre X, a range-extender version of its SUV that was originally meant to be electric-only. “The EV penetration rate was not as good as we expected”, said Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng to Automotive News.
Lotus calls the technology X-Hybrid, but the architecture is closer to what the Chinese EV industry refers to as an EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle). The Eletre X features a 70 kWh battery and dual electric motors that handle the driving.
Series and parallel
A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine producing 150 kW runs as a generator, feeding energy back into the battery when needed. In heavy demand situations, it can also drive the front axle directly, turning the system into a parallel hybrid.
Now, the engine might be small and unworthy of the Lotus name, but the firepower isn’t: 952 hp for the H1000. The nine-minute charge is a thumbs up too, and provides enough total range to drive from Brussels to Rome, good for 1,200 kilometers (350 kms pure electric), without breaking a sweat.
Quicker than Lamborghini
The X-Hybrid breaks down to three operating modes. Pure electric for urban use, range extender for motorway stretches, and full parallel hybrid when maximum output is called upon. Lotus claims the switch between modes occurs without driver input.
The top-spec H1000 sprints to 100 kph in 3.3 seconds. For context, that is quicker than the Lamborghini Urus SE. There’s also a more modest H550 with half of that horsepower, but it’s still fit enough to live up to its premium credentials and hit the 100 mark under five seconds.
The 900-volt electrical architecture is an upgrade from the 800V system in the standard Eletre EVs and enables DC charging at up to 350 kW. That’s what brings the 70 kWh pack from 20 to 80 percent in just nine minutes. Nine. That is faster than most drivers can find a parking spot, pay for a coffee, and get back to the car.
Not a one-off
Lotus has opened orders across mainland Europe for the two variants. The H550 starts at €96,990; the H1000, with full output, starts at €119,990. Given the range extender technology, the same models are sold in China, Lotus’ primary market and production base.
The Eletre X is not a one-off. Lotus has confirmed at least two further plug-in hybrid models in the pipeline. The Emeya four-door fastback shares its platform with the Eletre and is widely expected to receive the X-Hybrid treatment next. Beyond that, Lotus’ revised plan, Focus 2030, includes a V8 hybrid supercar for 2028. This will be the long-awaited successor to the Evora era, built around an ICE core rather than a battery.
In an interview with Automotive News, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said that “luxury buyers don’t like the smoothness of EV driving. We have even had some crazy ideas to make the electric motors run more like a combustion engine.”
