Lotus Evora - Chassis

[Mark H]

Lotus Evora - Chassis

Production Low Volume Versatile Vehicle

Architecture

The Evora’s chassis is a low investment cost evolution of the Versatile Vehicle

Architecture (VVA) from the Lotus APX concept vehicle previously showcased

at the Geneva Motorshow, and allows for the development of a range of

vehicles up to a gross vehicle weight of 1,900 kg. This architecture has been

designed to be more applicable to mid-volume applications by utilising our low

capital investment manufacturing processes. The Evora structure progresses

the Lotus ‘bonded and riveted’ technology used in the Elise family of vehicles

with new and unique extrusions and folded panels, whilst providing production

build modularity and lower cost repairs.

The low volume VVA chassis has been designed for scalability so that it can

be extended in width, length and height. The strength and stiffness of the low

volume VVA chassis can be modified cost effectively by varying the wall

thickness of the extrusions, without altering the exterior dimensions. The ability

to lengthen or shorten extrusions with the option to tailor the chassis stiffness,

vastly increases the number of vehicles that can be developed from this

vehicle architecture. Front and mid engine installations have been considered.

The Lotus Evora employs a composite roof as a stressed structural member to

give an exceptional vehicle stiffness of 26,600 Nm per degree. This impressive

stiffness is also thanks in part to the seatbelt anchorage frame, and partly

because the high-tech composite body panels are stressed items. However,

despite this high stiffness, the complete chassis or tub and front and rear

modules weight just 206 kg, helping to keep the weight of the whole car to just

1382 kg.

To deliver this high performance structure, bonded and riveted high grade

aluminium extrusions and simple and elegant folded sheet elements are used

in the lower structure, building upon award winning Lotus research projects in

this field. Lotus pioneered the technology of bonded aluminium extrusions for

use in road vehicles and has successfully developed high performance cars

for other car companies around the world using these techniques.

The central tub is attached to an extruded aluminium subframe at the front and

a lightweight welded steel subframe at the rear. These subframe modules also

offer advantages in terms of convenience and low cost of repair, and during

manufacturing can be brought to the production line fully assembled, ready to

be attached thereby improving the overall efficiency of space and time of

assembly.

The high technology Lotus Evora chassis is manufactured at the new Lotus

Lightweight Structures Limited (LLS) facility in Worcester, UK. LLS employs

over 100 skilled engineers, technicians and sales staff and will manufacture all

the Lotus aluminium structures, including those for the Elise, Exige, 2–Eleven

and Europa and aluminium components for Lotus’ extensive global client base.

With the Elise and its derivatives, the no-compromise character of the car

makes getting in and out across a wide sill and through a comparatively

narrow door/window aperture part of the charm of ownership. For the Evora

and its remit for the serious daily driver, and to attract newcomers to the Lotus

brand, greater convenience and practicality of ingress and egress is provided.

As a consequence the sill is now lower and slimmer (80 mm wide compared

with 100 mm in the Elise), and the whole door aperture taller. The doors open

wider than on the Elise and its siblings, while the height of the front seat is

raised by 65 mm.

Lotus Evora: 205 g/km CO2

32.5 mpg (8.7 litres / 100 km) - Combined Cycle

22.8 mpg (12.4 litres / 100 km) - Urban Cycle

43.5 mpg (6.5 litres / 100 km) - Extra Urban Cycle

 

 

Related images are here:

 

http://www.midlandslotus.co.uk/forum/index...=sc&cat=178

 

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