Lotus launches ultra-luxe ‘Carbon’ variant of its Eletre hyper-SUV in North America
Less than five months after opening Eletre orders in North America, Lotus has debuted a new variant of the hyper-SUV called the Eletre Carbon. This carbon fiber-clad luxury spin on an already premium BEV offers swanky new interiors, sleek exterior paint, and some (slightly) improved performance – all for a significant jump in price compared to the other Eletre trims.
We had been anticipating the arrival of the Lotus Eletre since 2021, when the Geely-owned hypercar developer announced plans to go all-electric by 2028, beginning with an E-segment SUV called “Type 132.”
That codename would eventually evolve in the Eletre, which debuted in March 2022 before production began in China ahead of deliveries overseas. This past April, Lotus began taking Eletre orders in North America, bringing the hyper-SUV closer to US and Canadian roads.
Today, however, Lotus has announced a third variant called the Eletre Carbon, which is available to North American customers to customize and order beginning today.
Lotus Eletre Carbon on sale ahead of Q1 2025 deliveries
Lotus shared details of the new Eletre Carbon variant in a release this morning. The new luxury-focused hyper-SUV variant has been equipped with carbon fiber design inside and out to bring strength and lighter weight to the BEV’s structure.
The exterior features a new “Stardust” black color with a satin finish, exclusive to Lotus Eletre Carbon, as well as the option for ten piston 420mm carbon ceramic brakes. Inside the cabin, customers will be able to choose from three new Bridge of Weir leather interiors with a “dynamic quilting design” – black, light grey, or dark brown (see below).
In terms of performance specs, the new Carbon variant essentially matches the Lotus Eletre R variant that originally launched last year. Lotus says the Eletre Carbon will offer 280 miles of range, a 0-60mph acceleration time of 2.95 seconds, and max power of 675kW (905 horsepower).
When it originally opened Eletre orders in North America, it said the R variant can recharge 10-80% in 20 minutes in a 350kW DC fast chargers, but said the new Carbon version can do so in 18 minutes.
Other features in the the Lotus Electre Carbon include five massage modes, three ambient lighting functions that communicate intuitively with the driver, door soft close function, and an advanced intelligent panoramic glass roof that can be switched between opaque and clear.
As previously mentioned, the Lotus Eletre Carbon is on sale in North America beginning today and starts at a price of $229,900 (CAD $313,500). For comparison, that’s almost $85,000 more than the previous top-tier trim, the Eletre R (MSRP USD $145,000 / CAD $178,500).
Customer deliveries are expected to begin in Q1 2025.
Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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