Lotus Evija production comes alive

The new manufacturing facility where Lotus will build the Evija all electric hypercar is being readied for final prototype production.

Series production and first customer deliveries of the electric two-seater will begin mid-2020.

The assembly hall is situated at the brand's historic home of Hethel, in Norfolk, U.K.. It has been built trackside, next to Lotus' storied 3.54km circuit which has hosted testing and shake-down sessions with many Formula One legends such as Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jim Clark and others.

The result is a versatile and inspiring workspace that will see Lotus hand-build up to 130 examples of the Evija. The first year's production allocation is already designated to customers around the world.

Work on the new Evija factory began in mid-2019. The interior has been fitted on three sides with gantries which frame the build stations. These have been designed and engineered to be sleek and unobtrusive, though robust enough to carry the necessary power, data and compressed air systems required to assemble the Evija.

An overhead gantry crane, multiple vehicle lifts and a wheel alignment ramp have also been installed. The interior is illuminated by more than 30,000 of the latest high-density, low-energy LEDs. A state-of-the-art light tunnel will house the rigorous final inspection, before each Evija is driven out directly on to the famous Hethel test track for dynamic validation.

Highly collaborative in nature, the project has involved the collaboration of 20 specialist contractors with more than 50 experts on site over the last six months.