Lotus, has created a new research and development group solely for electric and hybrid vehicles.
Mike Kimberley, CEO for Group Lotus plc, said the formalization of the engineering team was in response to an increasing amount of third party client work in the research and development of hybrid and electric vehicles.
Phil Barker, who will lead the team as Chief Engineer, said, "We are committed to driving forward with green technology for both Lotus Cars and our Engineering clients. We have made significant developments over 20 years in hybrid and electric vehicle technologies with recent examples being the Lotus EVE (Efficient, Viable, Environmental) hybrid technology demonstrator and the Low CO2 project undertaken in collaboration with Continental Division Powertrain."
The Low CO2 vehicle concept is being proposed as a practical option for manufacturers to reduce their fleet average CO2 emissions. Lotus and Continental engineers concluded tests in February that they say showed a 15% reduction in CO2 emissions as a result of an engine redesign.
Kimberley said, "The most important part of this project is that the solution is a combination of technologies that are available and can be implemented in next generation models and with further work beyond the scope of this initial project, dramatic reductions in CO2 can theoretically be achieved."
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