Filing with Chinese officials suggests 'Hyper Hybrid' powertrain will be borrowed from the Zeekr 9X
Technical specifications for the new plug-in-hybrid Lotus Eletre have been revealed in a Chinese government filing.
The electric SUV swaps its 108kWh battery for the smaller 70kWh unit from Geely sibling brand Zeekr’s 9X luxury SUV.
This yields an electric-only range of up to 220 miles between charges – although this figure is according to China’s CLTC test cycle, which is more generous than the WLTP standard used in Europe.
In the 9X, this battery can be charged from 20-80% in just over eight minutes. If the Eletre PHEV matches that capability, it would become the UK’s fastest-charging PHEV, with a peak charging rate well north of 400kW. This detail remains yet to be confirmed, however.
The Eletre PHEV also employs the same turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that's used in the 9X. This can be used to either drive the wheels or continuously top up the battery while on the move.
Details on electric motors remain under wraps, but the 9X has three combining for 1381bhp. Lotus previously said its version of the powertrain (dubbed Hyper Hybrid) will pack 912bhp, but the 9X reveals there is further head room in the set-up.
The Eletre PHEV weighs between 2575kg and 2625kg, depending on the chosen trim and optional extras, roughly aligning with the existing pure-electric version.
Visually, it's largely indistinguishable from the EV, save for a more open front grille and bespoke ‘For Me’ badging on its bootlid. The latter is likely to be replaced with a more conventional ‘Hybrid’ motif in the UK and Europe.
The Eletre PHEV will be revealed in full in January, with UK sales expected to begin next autumn.
Lotus had previously committed to selling only EVs by 2028, but sales of the Eletre and Emeya have been significantly slower than first expected, forcing the company to adjust course.
CEO Feng Qingfeng said the launch of hybrids would help Lotus’s sales in regions with slower uptake of EVs, such as Italy and Saudi Arabia.
The PHEVs are also expected to boost Lotus’ profitability; the company recorded an operating loss of $357 million for the first nine months of 2025.
