British sports car maker Lotus has launched its own range of EV charging solutions as part of its commitment to becoming all-electric by 2028.

Solutions include an ultra-fast 450kW DC charger, power cabinet and a modular unit for charging up to four vehicles at once

Its new charging offerings include an ultra-fast 450kW DC charger, power cabinet and a modular unit for charging up to four vehicles at once.

They’re initially available in China and due to be rolled out in the majority of European countries and the Middle East in Q2 2024.

Its operational model hasn’t been announced but it’s expected that the chargers will be sold direct to charge point operators and fleets, rather than the carmaker running its own network.

Tesla has recently started selling its ultra-fast 250kW chargers to third-party charge point operators – its first global deal was announced last month with BP Pulse, which is deploying the Tesla Superchargers for its US charging network as part of plans to scale up its provision, while UK petrol station giant EG Group has become the first to buy them in Europe.

Lotus is using liquid-cooled technologies throughout its suite of commercial charging solutions to make it easier and quicker for EV drivers to charge their vehicles.

The new ultra-rapid 450kW DC charger has been “futureproofed” to offer market-leading speeds compared to current public devices in the UK – it can add 89 miles (142km) of range in around five minutes.

Lotus says its customers will be able to easily upgrade to this power output without additional hardware costs “once in-market service providers roll out grid upgrades”.

Mike Johnstone, chief commercial officer at Lotus Group, said: “Over the past six years, Lotus has been investing in the technology and infrastructure to accelerate the transition to electrification. We want to make it easier than ever to own an electric vehicle and with our latest offerings, Lotus is able to provide customers with the confidence to access easy, fast, and efficient charging.”

The new range of charging solutions is central to the Lotus Vision80 strategy, announced in 2018 and focused on transforming the brand to an all-electric global luxury technology brand by 2028.

The company launched its first electric hyper-SUV Eletre in 2022, with customer deliveries across UK, Europe and China taking place this year. This was followed by the Emeya, its next-generation electric hyper-GT, in early September 2023.

Lotus has reported huge demand for both products, with an order book of over 19,000 vehicles. The company has ramped up production this year, having had a record-breaking first half of 2023, and expects the full year to surpass all previous years.