Sports car manufacturer Lotus has signed a deal with energy firm Centrica to develop a new model for electric vehicle (EV) ownership.
In a statement, the two companies say they want to ‘redefine the customer relationship with cars’ through smart devices that connect energy usage from the home to the vehicle.
By making the car ‘an extension of the home’, Lotus says it will be capable of storing electricity, minimising emissions and generating new income by providing services to the energy market.
The energy company will also develop a sustainability program for Lotus that will help mitigate the environmental impact of everything from manufacturing through to sales and the day-to-day activities of Lotus employees.
In July 2019, Lotus launched the Evija which it says is the world’s first all-electric British ‘hypercar’. Production will start later this year.
Lotus Cars CEO Phil Popham said: ‘Our journey to net-zero carbon is absolutely lock-in-step with the Vision80 strategy for Lotus – taking us to eighty years of the business in 2028. By then we will have transformed Lotus into a truly global player in the high-performance high-technology sector with a new range of cars that remain true to our fundamental promise of always being “For The Drivers”.
‘The difference is the energy and infrastructure that will power and support these products in the future – this new partnership demonstrates the progress being made and the ambition of our vision.’
Carl Bayliss, Vice President of Centrica Innovations, said: ‘Owning an electric vehicle isn’t the same as owning an internal combustion engine car. We see a future where the customer, car and home are connected, enabling new services beyond charging the car, and new products and experiences replacing the unremarkable standard relationship with energy and the ownership of a car today.’