The spirit of the original Lotus Elise lives on in this groundbreaking electric sports car
British engineering company Nyobolt is testing its ultra-fast-charging and extremely long-lasting EV battery technology in a drivable version of its Lotus Elise-inspired concept.
Unveiled as a static show car last year, the Nyobolt concept is a 470bhp, 1,246kg electric rework of the S1 Lotus Elise, designed by the man who designed the original, Julian Thomson.
Beneath its somewhat familiar body, the Nyobolt EV is a test object for a new generation of batteries that could mean decisive changes in the range, charging times and lifespan of electric vehicles.
Cambridge-based Nyobolt says its high-density cell technology and battery management software could be used to optimize the powertrain for “high-uptime” electric vehicles that “require high power and fast charge cycles.”
Initial tests on the running prototype this month confirmed that its 35kWh battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 4 minutes and 37 seconds using a 350kW charger. Nyobolt says that’s “twice as fast as most of today’s fastest-charging vehicles.”
Nyobolt also completed 4,000 full fast-charge cycles – equivalent to around 600,000 miles of driving – and claims the battery retained more than 80 percent of its usable capacity.
“This is many times higher than the warranty for much larger electric vehicle batteries that are on the roads today,” it says.
While Nyobolt sees a wide range of applications for this technology beyond cars, it is no coincidence that the company is demonstrating its potential in a prototype based on the Elise.
A particular advantage of the cell technology is that the size and weight of the battery packs are minimized, says the company. The concept vehicle weighs just 1,246 kilograms – barely more than a Renault Clio.
Shane Davies, head of the company’s vehicle battery systems division, extolled the dynamic benefits of lightweight powertrains for electric vehicles: “We can enable original equipment manufacturers to bring excitement back to the segment that is currently literally burdened by outdated batteries.”
“Our Nyobolt EV demonstrates the efficiency gains made possible by our fast-charging, longer-lasting battery technology, allowing the capacity to be right-sized while still delivering the required performance.”
The company has worked with Warwick-based design agency Callum – creator of the small and lightweight Skye EV sports car – to develop the prototype for small-scale production. It says the car could be offered as either a road-going sports car or a dedicated track toy, but has not yet given any planned timeframes or volume ambitions.
However, the company says that plans for battery production are already more advanced. Production of small quantities could begin this year and increase to 1,000 batteries next year. Ultimately, the company could produce two million units per year with its “flexible” manufacturing model.
Sai Shivareddy, co-founder and CEO of Nyobolt, told Autocar that the unveiling of the prototype last year “really accelerated our discussions with the OEMs, particularly on how our technology could solve some of the issues that are hindering the adoption of electric vehicles.”
The company is in talks with eight vehicle manufacturers interested in the technology, he said.
Shivareddy did not provide details on these prospects, but said: “Our focus is initially on the premium segment, but we definitely see a place in the enthusiast and performance sector.
“We chose a sports car as our first demonstrator model because such a vehicle is well suited as a track day car and has an operating cycle that perfectly matches our technology.”
“We work not only with premium cars, but also with off-road vehicle manufacturers – applications where no one can afford to leave a truck idling overnight and charging.
“They need the high availability and productivity that ultra-fast charging brings. Outside of the automotive industry, we will announce applications in robotics that would benefit both the manufacturing and supply chain sectors.”
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