Britishvolt said on Friday it will develop batteries for a fully-electric sports car in partnership with British carmaker Lotus, the first publicly-announced customer for the electric vehicle (EV) battery startup.
Britishvolt said the research and development that will go into developing battery cells for a high-performance sports car for Lotus will ultimately trickle down to benefit battery cells for more affordable, mainstream EVs.
“Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver,” Lotus managing director Matt Windle said in a statement.
“Lotus is a performance brand with an ambitious plan,” Britishvolt executive chairman Peter Rolton told Reuters during a visit to the construction site for Britishvolt’s planned battery plant site in the northern English town of Blyth, a large former coal storage site overlooking the North Sea.
“In order for that to work, they need to have performance that goes with the vehicle and you won’t get that from a standard battery.”
The partnership will see Britishvolt and Lotus develop a Lotus electric vehicle, powered by Britishvolt cells and with advanced electric propulsion technologies developed by Lotus.
Britishvolt maintains that, as in Formula 1, this high-performance research and development will ultimately cascade down to influence the electro chemistries of more affordable batteries and EVs.
Matt Windle, Lotus Cars Managing Director, said: “Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver.
Britishvolt to develop batteries for new Lotus Electric sports car
