The company plans an autonomous system unlike anything else.
The famed “simplify, then add lightness” brand hopes to simplify the driving experience by eliminating it.
The Lotus Eletre SUV, which the British brand hopes will make a lot of money, will arrive with a host of advanced sensors and LIDARs that may help it become the first Level 4 autonomous vehicle. Li Bo, CEO of Lotus Robotics, told Autocar what it hopes to achieve.
The Eletre, which will hit our shores in 2024, is already autonomously testing on the streets of China without driver input. One LiDAR is located on the roof, and two others are in the fenders and can be deployed when needed. The rest of the vehicle is equipped with standard radar and high-definition cameras.
Bo doesn't want to focus on autonomous 'levels' as much as he wants to focus on a “mile per intervention” metric. This way, the company can better see the targets it's aiming for and consistently see the progress it is achieving. Currently, the Eletre is sitting on Level 3 autonomy and driving 124 miles between interventions. The goal is to get that number up to a massive 62,150 miles.
It's weird to hear a company that has always preached the importance of driving dynamics and involvement switch to a completely opposite viewpoint, but that's the way things are now. The company that cracks the autonomous driving code will be rich. Still, autonomy doesn't necessarily have to mean boring, and Lotus believes it may have found a solution to achieve this.
Bo says that the car's autonomous systems will be able to learn the driving habits of its owners and give them the autonomous experience that most aligns with the driver's preferences.
This means if the person is a little more aggressive with their driving style, the autonomous system will also be more aggressive, and if the driver is a little more laid-back, the car will be too. So in a way, the company has still managed to imbue the vehicle with the involvement it's always held so dear.
If that's not good enough, the company is still planning to stay true to its roots in the sports car department. The Emira has started arriving on owners' doorsteps. The brand finally has its own hypercar in the all-electric Evija, which promises not only to be exceptionally light for an EV but also the most powerful road car ever produced.
This is to say the company has its priorities straight, so don't fret. Autonomy may be inevitable, but thanks to companies like Lotus, there's still a good chance it can be fun.
Keyword: Lotus Working On Sporty Level 4 Autonomous Driving