An Arctic Odyssey with Lotus Emeya: Snow, Safety & Style

In Ivalo, Finland, 250 km inside the Arctic Circle, Lotus engineers have finished their validation work for the new Emeya in temperatures as low as -25°C (-13°F). 

The Lotus Emeya hosts a range of features to make driving in extreme temperatures a breeze, including the Lotus App, which drivers can use to remotely prepare their car before their journey. Drivers can set the car’s temperature or activate the heated seats and steering wheel. Or if the weather calls for it, customers can cool the cabin and its seats. Heated side cameras and mirrors prevent condensation and the 55-inch head-up display offers a Snow Mode, which turns the display blue and helps the driver to see the outline of the road more easily against a white background.

But most importantly, are Emeya’s safety features.

Elevating Lotus’ automotive excellence through rigorous Arctic testing

Lotus was founded in 1948, England, and has been leading the way in automotive innovation since then with its cutting-edge designs. The Lotus Evija was featured in our ‘Top 10 Electric Supercars’.

Read it here.

Controlled and real-world testing took place during Emeya’s development. Controlled testing put Emeya through the paces in consistent conditions, while the real-world testing proved the controlled results while introducing new factors, such as changing road surfaces. The goal of this testing is to guarantee Emeya drives like a true Lotus. 

Throughout the Arctic testing programme, Lotus’ engineers focused on testing Emeya in a range of ways:

• Suspensions, steering, brakes and traction and stability controls were tried out on icy and snowy surfaces.
• In heavy snow, road markings and traffic signs can be obscured. Lotus’ essential driver assistance functions which help drivers stay in control in difficult driving situations were put to the test.
• Air-conditioning and thermal management systems were calibrated, to ensure the car can keep passengers comfortable in all conditions.

“This is a Lotus like you have never seen before. We’ve built on everything Lotus has achieved so far to create a luxury performance car for the drivers, designed to inspire confidence, exhilarate with raw emotion and pure joy – connecting them to the road,” said Ben Payne, Vice President of Design, Lotus Group. 

Lotus Emeya: Evolving the legacy with safety and style

Gavan Kershaw, Director of Attributes and Product Integrity, first joined Lotus in 1988. He has seen the company evolve through the seasons and was proud to work on this testing in the Arctic. 

“There are many elements of the Lotus DNA which have been carried through all our vehicles since the very first one in 1948,” says Kershaw. “A Lotus should be engaging and desirable, but also safe and predictable. That doesn’t mean boring – in fact, just the opposite! Drivers need to know they can trust their car so they can maximise the dynamic performance and with the development work that’s gone into Emeya, they really can.”

“The testing process at Lotus is rigorous and covers a comprehensive performance assessment of everything from suspension and steering through to battery and tyres,” adds Sylvain Verstraeten, Regional Vehicle Line Director. “Emeya is the ultimate all-electric grand tourer, designed and engineered to deliver the optimum driving experience for our customers 365 days a year and in all conditions. We’re incredibly excited for customers to be able to experience Emeya for themselves.” 

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