Lotus Tech launched a surprise attack

Author | Chai Xuchen

Editor | Zhang Xiaoling

As the luxury car market in China's new energy sector becomes increasingly competitive, Lotus, known for its aggressive transformation, has launched a "power" surprise attack, preparing to seize a foothold in the high-end market.

On November 14, just before the 2024 Guangzhou International Auto Show, Lotus unveiled the industry's first hybrid electric technology with over 900V—"Luyao Super Hybrid," marking the beginning of a differentiated approach in the electric era.

As a regular in the F1 arena, Lotus has a strong DNA in power and performance. It once mounted a jet engine on a racing car and was the first to adopt an 800V high-voltage electric platform in the electrification era, consistently being a technological pioneer. The newly launched "Super Hybrid" technology aims to disrupt the industry and shake up the hybrid market.

In an interview after the press conference, Lotus Group CEO Feng Qingfeng told Wall Street Insight that the Luyao Super Hybrid technology is built on a platform exceeding 900V, with a comprehensive range reaching 1,100 kilometers, while also featuring industry-leading dual fast-charging capabilities, generating power at a discharge rate five times faster while driving.

With these three major features, Lotus can significantly extend the range with a hybrid system, directly addressing the issue of weak power from battery depletion. Feng Qingfeng "Versailles" stated that the Luyao hybrid refueling experience will have a speed comparable to battery swapping, and more importantly, it breaks through the technical constraints of performance, restoring the speed and passion of pure electric Lotus.

In Feng Qingfeng's view, Luyao is a technical weapon for Lotus in the million-level luxury performance car segment. The timing of this move reflects Lotus's intention to regain control of the high-end new energy market.

Feng Qingfeng told Wall Street Insight that under the long-standing output of control and racing culture, pure electric Lotus users have a high average mileage of 30,000 kilometers per year, far exceeding ordinary pure electric brands. However, balancing performance and energy efficiency has become one of the significant pain points for high-end pure electric vehicles.

Therefore, a new energy luxury car that excels in performance and has no worries about range can satisfy high-end consumers' desire for "both." Filling this gap and gaining more market share would be a natural outcome.

"Currently, other luxury brands have not yet considered this matter, but we are already taking action, especially overseas where we have a definite advantage." Feng Qingfeng stated that unlike overseas car companies that only respond to market policies and regulations, Lotus's electrification is entirely based on user needs, giving it a window of opportunity.

Objectively, this surprise attack is also Feng Qingfeng's response to "market anxiety." The launch of the Super Hybrid allows Lotus to break through in important regional markets. Feng Qingfeng has previously stated that Lotus has a natural advantage in overseas markets, especially in Europe and the United States. In the UK, the electrification penetration rate in the luxury car market priced over $80,000 (approximately 600,000 RMB) is as high as 30%.

In the Chinese market, Lotus's Super Hybrid can better meet the needs of high-end users. Feng Qingfeng revealed that Lotus's regional market sales target is "3331," aiming to increase the market share in China to 30%, in addition to Europe and the United States As a high-end luxury brand under Geely Holding, Lotus has become more closely integrated with capital after its listing in the United States this year. It also needs to prove its potential to investors and fulfill its commitment to capture 4% of the global luxury car market by 2028.

The "Vision80 strategy," personally launched by Feng Qingfeng, is a grand blueprint he painted for investors before the IPO and a commitment to revitalize this ancient luxury brand.

The current changing landscape is both a test and an opportunity prepared for reformers.

The launch of the super hybrid technology marks the beginning of a breakthrough journey for Lotus. As the helmsman, Feng Qingfeng has witnessed the rise of the Chinese automotive market and has rich experience in technology research and development, marketing, and capital integration. He is confident in leading Lotus to new heights.

Next, it’s not just "Lu Yao," Lotus is also brewing "intelligent chassis" and other game-changing innovations, ready to throw them onto the table at a critical moment. It vows to reclaim its voice in the luxury market, uphold the brand's proud racing gene, and win a battle in the global new energy war.

Below is the transcript of the conversation between Wall Street Journal and Lotus Group CEO Feng Qingfeng (edited):

Q: Why is Lotus planning to introduce super hybrid technology?

Feng Qingfeng: Providing intelligent driving performance for drivers is the cornerstone of Lotus's Vision80 strategy and the brand's mission.

Among them, under pure electric products, the 800V super electric technology allows drivers to experience the purest high-performance experience and extremely fast instantaneous power response; under the hybrid drive system, the 900V super hybrid technology offers flexible power forms, allowing high-performance driving experience and long range to coexist.

Providing two technological options is aimed at accelerating the achievement of our sustainable development goals.

Q: Will the introduction of super hybrid technology affect Lotus's legendary driving and handling?

Feng Qingfeng: The driving experience of Lotus is never limited by the power drive system. We always choose the best power technology available, whether it’s pure gasoline, pure electric, hybrid, or range-extended; there is no best, but we must find the optimal solution, based on which we launched the Lu Yao super hybrid solution.

We have our advantages: backed by Geely and China's electrification, intelligence, and automation; Lotus has always been exploring power solutions, and we once put a jet engine on a car; we also explored plug-in hybrids in 2010.

Lotus places great emphasis on the driving experience and will always choose the best power technology available. Through Lotus's iconic aerodynamics, lightweight design, and chassis tuning, we aim to achieve the ultimate driving experience. We have optimized the size, quality, and weight distribution of the battery pack, electric motor, and turbocharged engine to ensure a clear presentation of Lotus's dynamic driving experience.

Super hybrid technology ensures that there will never be a "power depletion bug" in any scenario, always maintaining a high-performance electric experience and setting a new benchmark for the hybrid electric market.

Q: How does super hybrid technology work?

Feng Qingfeng: The 900V super hybrid technology provides a high-performance hybrid drive system, consisting of high-performance and high-efficiency motors, batteries, and turbocharged engines At high speeds, the turbocharged engine can recharge the battery and also directly participate in driving the vehicle, resulting in a longer range.

We have R&D centers in the UK, Europe, and Asia. The super hybrid technology is developed by leveraging Lotus's global strengths and is planned to empower the driving experience of future Lotus electric vehicles.

Q: What is the difference between super hybrid technology and super electric technology?

Feng Qingfeng: The name super hybrid ends with "electric," reflecting that this technology primarily offers an electric driving experience, which is different from traditional hybrid technology.

The characteristics can be summarized with the numbers "1, 2, 5": a comprehensive range of over 1,100 kilometers; dual flash charging technology, which includes plug-in and self-charging while driving; during driving, the self-charging technology allows the turbocharged engine to continuously charge the battery quickly, with a charging speed five times that of normal driving energy consumption. The charging speed of the plug-in flash charging technology is also comparable to battery swapping.

The meaning of "Lu Yao" embodies multiple connotations of "high performance" + "sustained output" + "long range."

Q: There may be an impression in the market that having a fuel tank means compromise. How does Lotus think about this?

Feng Qingfeng: In fact, Lotus's electrification is not entirely pure electric; we need to address user scenarios. Whether it's range-extended or pure electric, we must solve the energy replenishment issue. Energy replenishment can take various forms, including plug-in and charging while driving.

We need a route that aligns with Lotus's pursuit of performance, so in our innovative combination, we found a path that offers both electric driving experience and effective energy replenishment.

With hybrid technology, the range can reach 1,100 kilometers, eliminating the need to charge or refuel daily; the charging speed is very fast, with a power architecture exceeding 900V, allowing for replenishment in just a few minutes. Moreover, the replenishment speed while driving is also rapid, at five times the discharge speed, providing you with a pure electric experience at any time. This is our unique super hybrid path developed through market analysis to meet user needs.

In the future, we will incorporate intelligence. For example, in commuting scenarios, activating smart driving from home to the office, the engine does not need to drive, and the battery has plenty of power, providing an experience similar to pure electric.

Currently, other luxury brands have not yet considered this, but we are already taking action, especially with a significant advantage overseas.

Q: What user needs are driving the development of super hybrid technology?

Feng Qingfeng: There are various ways to solve power needs. Many say that fuel vehicles have no future, but I believe fuel vehicles still have a long lifecycle. Lotus users often drive long distances; achieving 20,000 kilometers a year in pure electric is already considered high, but Lotus users average 30,000 kilometers, including regular long-distance driving, especially since drivers enjoy driving, so long range is still very important.

Q: Do luxury car users still have doubts about pure electric vehicles?

Feng Qingfeng: The penetration of pure electric vehicles in the luxury car segment is slow because luxury car engines are already very powerful, and the driving experience is quite similar, with eight-cylinder and twelve-cylinder engines performing well. In the past, low-end cars in China had weak engines, with 0-100 km/h acceleration in 8 seconds being good, but luxury cars are all within 4 seconds, so the demand for power improvement is not obvious Q: Why haven't overseas luxury brands thought about this issue when they have the same technological system?

Feng Qingfeng: Many countries and regions are talking about electrification, but each country has different demands. China relies on consumer and market-driven electrification; initially, the government provided many subsidies to pull the industry chain together through advantages in batteries, electric control, and software.

With the industry chain in place, the rest relies on market drive. Many foreign countries are not market-driven; Europe’s ban on fuel vehicles stems from emission concerns, with increasingly stringent emission requirements. The Malaysian government is vigorously developing electric vehicles because the country had substantial fuel subsidies, but now that those subsidies are no longer sustainable, they are starting to develop electrification.

Therefore, Europe developed plug-in hybrids early on; electrification addressed legal and regulatory requirements but did not solve pain points. Pure electric vehicles have small battery capacities that require daily charging, and small fuel tanks that need refueling weekly, which instead brings many inconveniences to users, so PHEVs are lukewarm in Europe.

The technological origin in Europe is fuel vehicles, while our technological origin is pure electric vehicles. China always prefers to solve problems based on user needs. The core of the Luyao system is still electricity; I just need to add a fuel system, which easily resolves the electricity issue.

Q: What are the core competitive advantages of Lotus in the new energy sector?

Feng Qingfeng: We still pursue performance. The development of cars can be divided into two categories: increasing functionality or breaking through performance.

When you step on the accelerator, it should be faster, smoother, and more stable, with shorter braking distances and more precise steering; these are performance metrics. Many cars lack any handling capabilities; what Chinese people call comfort is actually a lack of performance. For cars, performance represents safety; the moose test is essentially an emergency avoidance capability.

Regardless of the power form, Lotus can still push the car's performance to the extreme, which is our difference from others.

Q: In what areas will Lotus continue to evolve?

Feng Qingfeng: We are already working on intelligent chassis. Because the weight of the car increases with the use of batteries, handling becomes more difficult, and energy consumption increases. Therefore, we need to enhance safety and handling through intelligent chassis. I believe that in the future of automotive technology, this will become a critical competitive point, so Lotus has early laid out a 6D intelligent chassis and will continue to strengthen this area.

Q: Will these technologies from Lotus be available for other brands?

Feng Qingfeng: Lotus has a Lotus Engineering division that serves not only itself but also the global market. After accumulating these technological advancements, anyone can use them.

Q: Do you have any new plans for domestic and international markets?

Feng Qingfeng: The Chinese market is very important, accounting for one-third of our market. In the future, we hope that the U.S., Europe, and China will each account for 30%, with other countries and regions making up 10%. Currently, Europe is slightly higher, and China is a bit lower; our goal is still to increase China's market share to 30%