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Electric Lotus morphs as it races


Classic racing marque pushes technology forward with adaptable body panels and aerodynamic control surfaces


L


otus has proven once again that laurels are not for resting on and is now push- ing forwards with the development of an


electric vehicle with advanced adaptive aero- dynamic technology for endurance racing. The E-R9 is pencilled in for inclusion on the


starting grids of circuits around the world for the 2030 season, where the only thing retro about the new Lotus will be its black and gold colour scheme, which harks back to the days when the UK company was behind 13 Formula 1 championship titles. According to the Norfolk sports car com-


pany, the E-R9 has a delta-wing shaped upper body that is crammed with innovative fea- tures, including advanced active aerodynam- ics with morphing body panels and vertically mounted control surfaces to assist with high- speed cornering.


Technology Showcase \\\ The car has been developed as a technology


showcase of Lotus Engineering’s philosophy, capability and innovative spirit in the fields of advanced electrified powertrains and aero- dynamics. E-R stands for Endurance Racer, while 9 is


the car’s competition number, carefully cho- sen in tribute to Lotus’ racing past. It was in a Lotus Mark IX that the race team made its debut appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with company founder Colin Chapman among the drivers competing. The year was 1955, meaning the E-R9 racing car concept – if raced in 2030 – would be in celebration of the Mark IX’s 75th anniversary. The E-R9 was developed by the engineer-


ing team of Richard Hill, chief aerodynamicist at Lotus, and Louis Kerr, principal platform en- gineer on the Lotus Evija pure electric hyper- car as well as technical director, GT, Geely Group Motorsports International. Visually it was brought to life by the Lotus Design team, led by Russell Carr, design director. Richard Hill comments: “What we’ve tried


to do is to push the boundaries of where we are technically today and extrapolate into the


The Lotus E-R9 endurance racer will feature shape-changing body panel technology based on sensor condition


future. The Lotus E-R9 incorporates technolo- gies which we fully expect to develop and be practical. Lotus has an amazing history of de- veloping unique vehicles, and we’ve done it many times in motorsport and with our road cars.”


Sensor activated morphing \\\ Chief among the car’s aero innovations are its


morphing body panels. These are located across the delta-wing profile and provides the car with aerodynamic adaptability. The driver can change the active surfaces manually at


the press of a button. Alternatively the shape of the panel or its attitude to the air flow can be adjusted automatically according to per- formance sensor inputs programmed to de- liver minimum drag along the straights and maximum downforce in the corners. Vertical control surfaces at the rear would


generate aerodynamic forces to help the car change direction, without the limitations of grip at the tyre contact patch. The result is a racer that’s partly driven like a car, partly flown like an aircraft and partly automatically optimised through the use of sensor inputs. In addition, the Lotus E-R9 features an ad-


vanced electric drivetrain powering each wheel independently, a system enhanced with torque-vectoring. It builds on technology al- ready integrated on the Lotus Evija pure elec- tric hypercar, though for the E-R9 would be fully adjustable by the driver on the move. Louis Kerr comments: “Battery energy den-


sity and power density are developing signif- icantly year-on-year. “Before 2030, we’ll have mixed-cell chem- istry batteries that give the best of both worlds, as well as the ability to ‘hot-swap’ bat- teries during pitstops.” DS&I


2021 /// DAQ, Sensors & Instrumentation \\\ 3


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