Update: A Lotus spokesperson contacted Motor1.com with the following official statement: "The Evija X is an all-new technology concept from Lotus. Based on the Evija road car, it is the ultimate expression of Evija and has been testing on multiple racetracks in multiple countries in the last weeks.
We have made great progress, successfully meeting all our objectives, and learning about the challenges of lapping the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Lotus engineering team continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with the Evija and the world’s most powerful EV powertrain."
Lotus touts the Evija as the world’s most powerful production car. We are a little skeptical about this statement – not because the Evija lacks enough power – but because it is not available to customers yet. Nevertheless, with a quad-motor electric powertrain and more than 2,000 horsepower on tap, it surely is among the most capable machines on the planet. And it seems that there’s an even more hardcore version currently under development.
The fresh new spy photos depicted in the gallery below show what appears to be an Evija with a dramatic aerodynamic package. We can see the Evija X name on the windshield and our photographers told us Lotus rented the entire Nurburgring track yesterday to let this prototype unleash its full potential. A helicopter was accompanying the supercar and was probably filming the attempt.
Gallery: Lotus Evija X spy photos
Obviously, this isn’t a street-legal vehicle – there are no headlights and the car seemingly sits just a few millimeters off the ground. Also, there are no side mirrors, and the interior features a full roll cage. There are weird openings in the front fenders where components of the front axle suspension can be seen. Last but not least, there’s a giant wing and the back, as well as a set of Pirelli P Zero tires.
So, what exactly is Lotus doing with this trial vehicle? Well, our first assumption is that the Geely-owned sports car automaker is chasing some sort of a new record on the legendary track. This is obviously just speculation at this point as Lotus hasn’t confirmed anything but the fact that the entire track was empty makes us believe the firm wants to have the perfect conditions for a fast lap at the circuit. Also, a Lotus exec hinted at a Nurburgring record in October last year.
On a side note, just earlier this month, Tesla regained the record for the fastest production electric vehicle on the track beating the Porsche Taycan with a Model S Plaid equipped with the Track Package. Meanwhile, Porsche is working on a more powerful three-motor Taycan Turbo GT.
Back to the Evija X prototype, there could be a new track-focused version of the Evija that is currently under development. As mentioned above, there’s no way this vehicle could be driven on public roads, which suggests there might be a limited edition track-only Evija X in the cards. Alternatively, this could actually be a future electric race currently in the making.
As a reminder, the Evija has an electric powertrain consisting of four electric motors for a peak output of 2,011 hp (1,500 kW) and 1,257 lb-ft (1,704 Nm). This power is enough for a 0 to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) sprint in less than three seconds and an electronically governed top speed of 217 mph (350 kph).
