Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Lotus set to launch Ethos city car

The Ethos engine is designed to run on varying fuels, including ethanol and methanol.

Following the lead of BMW and Aston Martin, Lotus has designed a concept three-door hatch that is less than 3.5m long and will have an innovative electric drive train.

It says the car, called the Ethos, could be ready for sale as early as 2013. It was the sixth car shown by Lotus at this year's Geneva motor show and despite its sales potential, was basically overlooked by the public as they became dazzled with Lotus' other sports-car offerings.

The Malaysian-owned but English-based niche-model sports-car maker could call on its parent, Proton, to help build the car. It could even become powered by a small petrol engine for Malaysia and other markets, and with the Lotus-developed three-cylinder petrol generator and electric motor hybrid system for a more exotic version for emission-sensitive markets.

Though Lotus Cars group PR manager Alastair Florance says it's still a concept, the car features significantly at the company's head office in Norfolk, UK.

"But this is not the car shown at the show with a Proton badge - that is a completely separate car,'' he says.

"The Ethos can make it to production in about 2013 - but we haven't made the final call on that.

"It is shown as a concept with a hybrid power train using the new Lotus-designed system of a range-extender petrol engine and an electric motor. But that's just one possibility. It could have a small petrol or diesel engine instead of the hybrid.''

Lotus' 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine - which in this case is made by Fagor in Spain - is specifically designed to act as a generator for the lithium-ion battery pack. It does not drive the wheels and therefore can be located anywhere in the car - front, back, under the seats and horizontal or vertical.

"The range extender is for applications where the car is driven for long periods,'' Mr Florance says.

"Perhaps we would have an electric-only system, with a plug-in charger, for city purposes where it doesn't need the extra weight and complexity and expense of the petrol engine.''

The Ethos concept has a range of 60km as a full electric car, but up to 500km with the range-extender system. The engine is designed to run on varying fuels, including ethanol and methanol.

In electric mode, it is as quick as most other traffic. It can accelerate to 100km/h from rest in nine seconds and top speed of 170km/h. With the range extender engine in use, its 54kW/240Nm generator will charge the batteries to provide sufficient energy to allow the car to cruise at 120km/h.