Lotus is working with Centrica to develop a new model for electric vehicle ownership that integrates future mobility and energy.
The British sports car manufacturer and Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, aim to redefine the customer relationship with cars by making them an extension of the home, and capable of storing electricity, minimizing emissions and generating new income by providing services to the energy market.
Centrica is working on a sustainability program leveraging innovative, low-carbon technologies to mitigate the environmental impact of everything from manufacturing through to sales and the day-to-day activities of Lotus employees.
The strategic partnership will cover creating a dedicated Lotus EV energy strategy and charging infrastructure for Lotus customers, de-carbonizing Lotus’s global operations, and producing a new energy product and platform integrating connected vehicles, homes and customers.
Chris O’Shea, group CEO of Centrica, said, “We are committed to helping our customers and communities achieve net-zero and to do so, we must enable the change to electric vehicles. We have the technology, the skills and the scale to do this and our partnership with Lotus is another step in bringing our commitment to life.”
Carl Bayliss, vice president of Centrica Innovations, added, “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.”
Uday Senapati, executive director, corporate strategy, Lotus, said, “The future of mobility is a huge opportunity for providing value-added services to the consumer and this platform will put Lotus at the forefront of that digital mobility ecosystem. We have set ambitious targets for decarbonizing both our vehicles and our operations. Given the rate of change required and the importance of getting it right first time, the support of our strategic partner Centrica is going to be vital.”
Production of the all-electric Lotus Evija hypercar (above) will start in Hethel, Norfolk, in the UK this year.