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Following a recent announcement to introduce a new lineup of all-electric performance cars, Lotus has shared the chassis architecture the EVs will sit upon. The rear structure on this new architecture is 37% lighter than it is on the current Emira V6 and will support a new generation of Lotus performance cars with zero emissions.

Lotus Cars is an automotive manufacturer based in England with over 70 years of experience, specializing in sports cars and racing, especially Formula One.

Known for its lightweight performance vehicles, Lotus has delivered some of the fastest cars on the planet during its tenure, which has been majority-owned by Chinese automotive conglomerate Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. since 2017.

While Lotus’ entire history producing speedy autos has relied on combustion, the British automaker hinted at the possibility of developing EVs in 2019, with the debut of its $2.1 million Evija hypercar concept.

The EV has since scorched racetracks, stylishly showcasing that Lotus can deliver the lightweight speed and handling it has been celebrated for without the dependency on fossil fuels.

Rolling off the early momentum around its flagship Evija EV, Lotus recently announced its own strategized epoch toward electrification, including four electric vehicles, two of which being SUVs.

Following a world premiere today, the public now has a glimpse of the new chassis these upcoming EVs will be built around.

Lotus shares its new LEVA chassis to support upcoming EVs

In a press release from Lotus Cars, the automaker has delivered a world premiere of its modular EV chassis.

Known as Project LEVA (Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture), the chassis began development last October, with the goal of accelerating the development of Lotus’ battery electric vehicles.

This new chassis architecture has been designed by the Lotus team as an adaptable platform for a variety of future EVs with different seating, motor configurations, wheelbase lengths, and battery sizes.

Vehicle Layout Wheelbase Battery Size/
Configuration
Max Battery
Power
EDU Layout /
Max Power
Two seater Minimum 2,470mm 8-module / chest 66.4 kWh Single / 350 kW
Two seater Over 2,650mm 12-module / chest 99.6 kWh Twin / 650 kW
2+2 Over 2,650mm 8-module / slab 66.4 kWh Single / 350 kW or
Twin / 650 kW

Funding for the LEVA project partially came from the Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator (ARMD) program, awarded by the UK government. Lotus Cars’ Executive Director of Engineering, Richard Moore spoke about the capabilities of the new chassis:

Project LEVA and the electric sports car architecture are perfect illustrations of the innovation which continues to be at the heart of everything Lotus does. Today’s EVs are heavy in comparison to their ICE equivalents, so the ARMD funding has helped Lotus to innovate earlier in the product cycle and develop a new vehicle architecture that targets lightweight and performance density from conception. Rather than developing a single vehicle, it means Lotus now has the ‘blueprint’ for the next generation of electric sports cars, for future Lotus products and for the Lotus Engineering consultancy to commercialize.

According to Lotus, the rear structure on the new chassis architecture is 37% lighter than it is on the Emira V6 ICE vehicle. With a lighter chassis and instant torque from electric motors, Lotus is sure to deliver clean, nasty speed with its upcoming family of EVs.

The new lightweight chassis is ready to support prototypes, and Lotus will now focus on developing and manufacturing the four announced EVs with the help of Geely. Here’s the current timeline:

  • 2022, Lotus will debut an E-segment SUV codenamed Type 132
  • 2023, Lotus plan to launch an E-segment four-door coupe, Type 133
  • 2025, Lotus will follow with the Type 134, a new D-segment SUV
  • 2026, Lotus will launch an all-new electric sports car, Type 135

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Test your knowledge of 2024’s best memes, words and phrases with our quiz

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Test your knowledge of 2024's best memes, words and phrases with our quiz

The past 12 months have been the gift that’s kept on giving when it comes to newly-coined words and phrases entering our lexicon.

But how well do you know the terminology that’s been all over socials in 2024? Can you sort your brats from your clean girls?

Test your knowledge with our quiz below and let us know how you do!

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Dayle Haddon: Former Sports Illustrated model dies of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

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Dayle Haddon: Former Sports Illustrated model dies of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

Dayle Haddon – the actor, activist and former Sports Illustrated model – has died from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Authorities found the 76-year-old dead in a second-floor bedroom on Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified about a person unconscious at the house in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania.

A 76-year-old man, later identified as Walter J Blucas, of Erie, is in a critical condition.

Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property.

Investigators believe the leak was caused by “a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system”.

As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, including 1994’s Bullets Over Broadway, starring John Cusack.

Haddon (Left) with Angela Merkel and Christine Lagarde (Right) during a meeting of the Gender Equality Advisory Council. Pic: Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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Haddon (left) with Angela Merkel and Christine Lagarde (right) during a meeting of the Gender Equality Advisory Council. Pic: AP

Haddon left modelling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but then had to re-enter the workforce after her husband’s 1991 death.

This time, she found the modelling industry far less friendly: “They said to me, ‘At 38, you’re not viable’,” Haddon told The New York Times in 2003.

Read more on Sky News:
Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, dies at 73

Working for an advertising agency, she began reaching out to cosmetic companies, telling them there was a growing market to sell beauty products to aging baby boomers.

She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, followed by Estee Lauder and then L’Oreal, for which she promoted the company’s anti-aging products for more than a decade.

She also hosted beauty segments for CBS’s The Early Show.

In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organisation aimed at advancing educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalised communities, including in Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.

Read more on Sky News:
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Haddon’s daughter, Ryan, said in a social media post that her mother was “everyone’s greatest champion. An inspiration to many”.

“A pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in Light, Mom,” she said.

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Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, dies at 73

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Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film Romeo and Juliet, dies at 73

Actress Olivia Hussey, best known for playing Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 production of Romeo and Juliet, has died aged 73.

She died peacefully at her home in California, surrounded by her loved ones on Friday, according to a post shared on her official Instagram account.

The message, posted with a sunset photo of Hussey in her youth, paid tribute to “a remarkable person whose warmth, wisdom, and pure kindness touched the lives of all who knew her”.

It went on: “Olivia lived a life full of passion, love, and dedication to the arts, spirituality, and kindness towards animals”.

Calling her a “truly special soul”, her family said while her “immense loss” was grieved, they would also “celebrate Olivia’s enduring impact on our lives and the industry”.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1951 to an Argentinian father and English mother, Hussey returned to London aged seven with her mother and studied at the Italia Conti Academy drama school.

Spotted by Italian director Zeffirelli in a stage show of The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie opposite Vanessa Redgrave, Hussey’s performance as Juliet aged just 15 made her a star and won her a Golden Globe.

Sixteen-year-old actor Leonard Whiting played her Romeo, with the pair going on to sue Paramount Pictures in 2022 for sexual abuse due to the Oscar-nominated movie’s nude scene.

(L-R) Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting pictured in 1968. Pic: AP/Eustache Cardenas
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(L-R) Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting in 1968. Pic: AP/Eustache Cardenas

The case was dismissed by a judge the following year.

Hussey would work with Zeffirelli again, playing the Virgin Mary in the 1977 TV miniseries Jesus Of Nazareth.

Appearances in horrors including Black Christmas and Psycho prequel Psycho IV: The Beginning established Hussey as a scream queen over the years.

Other notable appearances included Hercule Poirot movie Death On The Nile and Mother Teresa biography Madre Teresa.

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Hussey was reunited with Whiting in the 2015 British film Social Suicide, which was loosely based on Shakespeare‘s Romeo and Juliet.

Her daughter, actress India Eisley, played her on-screen daughter in the movie.

It was Hussey’s final screen role, according to IMDB.

Hussey leaves behind three children, Alex, Max, and India, her husband of 35 years David Glen Eisley, and grandson, Greyson.

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