Theory 1 concept previews future Lotus technology

From time to time, automakers will show a concept car that previews the direction they are taking in their design language and some of the technologies under development. Such concept models or design studies used to be highlights of motorshows but with the diminished interest in such events, many companies are previewing them online.

Lotus (part of the Geely Group, like Proton) has just unveiled the Theory 1 which also launched The Lotus Theory – the company’s new design manifesto. This will form the foundation for all future Lotus cars, encapsulated through three core principles – Digital, Natural and Analogue (DNA).

What DNA means
Elaborating on DNA, Lotus explains that Digital represents the ‘immersive, intelligent, and intuitive experience’, while Natural ‘brings to life emotional, connected, human-centric design’. Analogue is the brand’s continuous advancement of performance engineering.

By blending these core design principles with the latest design innovations from Lotus, as well as cutting-edge technologies, Lotus aims to simplify and enhance how a car should feel and perform. The concept car shows how DNA harmoniously fits around the driver and is able to adapt based on their needs – delivering the ultimate driver experience.

Theory 1 also reaffirms the company’s Vision80 commitment – a transformation into a global performance technology brand. This transformation will use the innovations shown in the concept car which are expected to be implemented into future models in the coming years.

LOTUSWEAR system
While it sounds like some clothing line, LOTUSWEAR is actually a proprietary system that aims to deliver a personalised, immersive experience to every occupant in the car, evoking a sense of raw emotion and pure excitement – and further connect them to the road.

This makes use of an adaptive soft and lightweight robotic textile material, seamlessly enabling the car to communicate with the driver and passengers and offer a more intuitive and comfortable in-car experience.

It aims to do this through inflatable pods on the seating and steering wheel that will react in real-time to offer more support, grip, and subtle prompts via personalised haptic feedback. For example, pulses on the left and right sides of the wheel will indicate when the driver should make a turn

There are five drive modes: Range, Tour, Sport, Individual and Track, delivering comfort and enhancing the driver experience & dynamic ability, as well as constantly adapting to the driver’s surrounding environment. This aims to optimise efficiency, performance, and comfort in any environment.

This component for the concept car has been created in collaboration with MotorSkins, a start-up that specialises in textile-based wearable robotics for everyday use. Theory 1 demonstrates the first time it is being used in the automotive industry.

3D-printed headrests
In addition, LOTUSWEAR features 3D-printed lattice structure headrests made in partnership with global 3D printing technology company Carbon, to offer all occupants in the car maximum comfort, whilst reducing the weight, improving material efficiency, and optimising aerodynamics.

To ensure every occupant can enjoy a truly immersive and unique audio experience, part of the headrest is a binaural audio system, which has been designed in collaboration with KEF. It offers individual bespoke soundscapes for each of the occupants, that are further enhanced by the subwoofer speaker located behind the driver seat.

LOTUSWEAR Technology Line
Part of the proprietary driving system is the LOTUSWEAR Technology Line – a functional technology band running inside and outside of the car, acting as a communication device. It includes Integrated OLED technology to display multiple functions of the vehicle status to the driver and occupants, as well as other road users and pedestrians eg detecting the presence of an object or person close to the vehicle.

There’s also Lotus’ 360° autonomous driving sensor suite, with fully embedded L4 hardware capability. This consists of 4 deployable LiDARs, 6 HD cameras, and a combination of long and short-range millimetre-wave radars, plus ultrasonic radars, delivering 360° (5x) perception coverage.

This can enhance driver confidence by scanning for obstacles at a radius of up to 200 metres around the car, in every direction, even in low light or inclement weather.

The LOTUSWEAR technology line is built on the high-performance NVIDIA DRIVE compute platform,  enabling redundant and diverse real-time sensor processing at trillions of operations per second. Through advanced digitalization and adaptive parameters, there will be greater safety and enhanced vehicle’s capabilities for optimum driving dynamics

The LOTUSWEAR Technology Line is a homage to the purely functional joining ‘band’ on the Esprit model. It is also an evolution of the line of technology that Eletre and Emeya have within their interior architectures. By grouping the technology all in a singular line throughout the vehicle, Lotus aims to keep the design as minimal and harmonious as possible – a progressive expression of its technology DNA.

New benchmark for user experience
The Theory 1 seamlessly integrates projections, screens, and haptics with Lotus’ new design manifesto to create a ‘borderless’ user experience and provide the driver with information quickly and easily.

Its digital system uses intelligent environmental light, LED and laser-light components, and even reflections on the windscreen to communicate information with the driver, such as obstacle detection, braking, turns and more.

Two laser lights on the dashboard wings to indicate left and right turns, working in harmony with the haptic inflation materials on the seats. Additional RGB LEDs on the suspension modules, which are visible from the interior, and have green or red signals, depending on the need for braking or acceleration.

Clear, functional, 2D graphics to display the main data on the steering wheel, ERMDs, and heads-up display. This has been designed with simplicity at the core, using the minimum amounts of fonts and graphic elements.

Immersive 3D graphics, where a grid of points evolve into lines that change length, colour and direction according to vehicle speed, braking, turning, and drive modes – a homage to the Arte Programmata movement from the 60s.

These key features enable the driver to enhance their use of peripheral vision, meaning they do not need to take their eyes off the road. In doing this, Lotus designed a fluid and intuitive experience for the drivers, so they can focus more on driving, minimizing distractions and further enhancing safety.

Enhancing performance
With the Theory 1, Lotus extends expertise in engineering to bring drivers an electric car that performs exceptionally and unlocks driver confidence by making the experience as fun and engaging as possible.

This includes advanced active and passive aerodynamic techniques including cooling, active rear spoiler, and passive rear underbody. All of this, along with the low centre of gravity, enhances stability and increases the lightness of the vehicle, a principle embedded by the late Colin Chapman.

The Theory 1 is a 3-seater sportscar which has a central driving position, with a passenger on each side, just behind the driver. Inspired by motorsports, the driver’s seat in the middle of the car provides the driver with the best possible visibility of the road ahead, as well as easy access to all controls.

“With Theory 1, we’ve built on everything Lotus has achieved so far in its 76-year history, to push the boundaries for what it means to drive a performance vehicle. We want to demonstrate that you don’t need to compromise – with both digital and analogue capabilities working harmoniously in the future car. In doing this, we are able to bring drivers the best possible immersive driving experience with raw emotion, functionality and connectivity, at the core,” said Ben Payne, Vice-President of Design, Lotus Group.

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