Battery - Lithium or not?

[emiraspain]

Does anyone know if the car will have a standard battery, ie one which we don' need to tether if we are leaving it more than about 2 - 3 weeks, which was the limit for my new Elise (sold to purchase the Emira).
To save 10-15 kilos, it would have historically been something Lotus would do, but I hope the guys higher up from other companies have convinced them not to do it as it is a small fraction of the owners who would put up with the hassle for such a small saving in a car which already weighs as much and more than its competitors, if we take the caymen GT4 as such a car for example. Bear / bare in mind porsche always understate their official figures on the customers side, ie cars generally go quicker than they publish and generally weigh less than they publish.

Anyway, I got a slight glimpse in one launch in Asia on youtube and the battery seemed to be normal, but not sure.

Also, I am guessing no insurance companies have the car in their data base yet for the UK, or for anywhere else. As I intend to use my car in Spain, this is going to be a HUGE issue, insurance.....

thanks

 

[Citizen]

I will continue with my choice , nimbus with tan interior and silver wheels

The tan colour I see the sample and no orange tones at all at my eyes , and the wheels let’s see how will fit in person

 

[Matt]

I don't think LOTUS will use such a high cost lithium battery.

 

[~el~jefe~]

lithium batteries are stupid in cars. including EV's. I rather not have a continuous fire. Just get a less fat girlfriend and use lead batteries. weight problem solved.

also, this car is so wide and mid engine that small weight changes like a battery is not that noticeable.

 

[Eagle7]

Yeah, a battery alone isn't going to make any noticeable difference. It would have to part of a complete plan to lighten everywhere that's reasonably possible, before you'd notice a difference. From my experience, look at getting lighter (usually more expensive) wheels, brake rotors, flywheel, clutch, battery, seats, exhaust system. Depending on what the original weighed, that could save you somewhere between 100-200 lbs of weight. That will cost you thousands though. If you have a lot of extra money to throw around, you could also look into carbon fiber front and rear hatches, doors and fenders. Those will cost many thousands, and you have to get them painted to match your FE color. At this point, you're well into 5 figures of mod money depending on what you've chosen.

With all of that, at least $20k or more, you might have saved around 250 lbs. Basically the difference of having a passenger in the car or not. Just as a test, before you start modding, take a drive with a passenger, and then without. See if the difference you feel is going to be worth that kind of money.

The other alternative is to add power, which in this case for this car, would probably be the cheaper way to go, even with the prices Komotec is charging. Is another 30 hp going to feel like $2,000 worth of fun? Is another 55 hp going to feel like $7,000 worth of fun?

A good compromise if you really want more power, would possibly be the 30 hp upgrade along with some moderate weight reduction; battery, seats, titanium exhaust would probably get you close to 100 lbs lighter. What you're really looking for is the weight to power ratio.

If the stock Emira FE V6 is going to weigh 3,200 lbs and have 400 hp, that's a weight to power ratio of 8-1. A good ratio that feels good is around 7 to 1. You'd have to have 457 hp in the Emira to have a 7-1 ratio. If you remove 100 lbs, you need 442 hp. If you remove 200 lbs, you need 428 hp. If you add 30 hp so you have 430, and remove 100 lbs of weight, you're at a ratio of 7.2-1 which is plenty good. A C8 Z51 has a ratio of about 7.4-1, and nobody thinks it's slow.

Modding can be fun, but it can also be an expensive headache if you're not prepared for the things that can come up and prevent it from going as smoothly as you expected it to.

 

[roundincircles]

lithium batteries are stupid in cars. including EV's. I rather not have a continuous fire. Just get a less fat girlfriend and use lead batteries. weight problem solved.

also, this car is so wide and mid engine that small weight changes like a battery is not that noticeable.

Excuse me Sir, my girlfriend is not fat.

 

[ADC]

"... lightness is overrated, add power instead ..."

Lotus enthusiasts:

 

[NicolasB]

Modifications, whether for power or weight reduction, almost always results in a reduction in comfort, whether it is ride stiffness, exhaust volume, or driveability. I've modded every vehicle I have owned over the years and it was always a compromise/sacrifice, most of the time not worth it, but sometimes.

 

[Eagle7]

Lotus enthusiasts:

I know I didn't say that, so I'm assuming you're making that in response to what I said above. Also, below the "Lotus enthusiasts:" is a long string of letters and numbers. Is that supposed to be a picture?

It's a matter of balance, and cost-effective modding. Unless you just have money to burn, and want to replace virtually the entire body with carbon fiber, go with carbon fiber brakes and wheels, carbon fiber seats and steering wheel, titanium exhaust, lighter flywheel and clutch, all of which would cost you at least half the price of the car, it's a reasonable (and much more cost-effective) compromise to do a modest amount of weight reduction and add a modest amount of power. It still won't be cheap, but if you just gotta have more power in this model Emira...

 

[ADC]

I know I didn't say that, so I'm assuming you're making that in response to what I said above. Also, below the "Lotus enthusiasts:" is a long string of letters and numbers. Is that supposed to be a picture?

It's a matter of balance, and cost-effective modding. Unless you just have money to burn, and want to replace virtually the entire body with carbon fiber, go with carbon fiber brakes and wheels, carbon fiber seats and steering wheel, titanium exhaust, lighter flywheel and clutch, all of which would cost you at least half the price of the car, it's a reasonable (and much more cost-effective) compromise to do a modest amount of weight reduction and add a modest amount of power. It still won't be cheap, but if you just gotta have more power in this model Emira...

I know, I know... just paraphrasing to poke fun that a certain set might object to such a liberal interpretation of The Teachings Of Colin

 

[Eagle7]

I know, I know... just paraphrasing to poke fun that a certain set might object to such a liberal interpretation of The Teachings Of Colin

Gotcha

 

[~el~jefe~]

98% of the time driving on a road you are not accelerating. maybe 99+%. lightness is felt 100.000% of the time, and works every time too. lighter the car the less stiff one needs to make the suspension

 

[Hapkin]

So considering Greg's Race parts Lithium. Battery. There is a choice of H6 vs T6. Anyone know if the H6 fits Emira? Which is better and will be sufficiently powered to avoid all the electrical gremlins that plague Emiras?

 

[Speedy Emira]

I was speaking to the service manager last week and he said it is definitely not good for the batteries to be left 2 weeks without using the car and not just for short journeys. He suggested connecting to a trickle charger with built in battery management.
This came from the fact I haven’t been driving much lately and even after a 10 mile trip to the garage he said the battery was at 12.3 volts which was too low to do the updates. Not sure how they overcame it but called me an hour later to say all ready. I assume they connected it to a charger.

 

[Time2Fly]

@GRP has a good deal on lithium batteries

 

[Time2Fly]

So considering Greg's Race parts Lithium. Battery. There is a choice of H6 vs T6. Anyone know if the H6 fits Emira? Which is better and will be sufficiently powered to avoid all the electrical gremlins that plague Emiras?

They both fit. One is shorter as he explained it.

 

[Hapkin]

They both fit. One is shorter as he explained it.

Is a 60 AH better than 40 AH for the Emira specifically? Or is it overkill? I assume 60AH is also heavier.

 

[Time2Fly]

Is a 60 AH better than 40 AH for the Emira specifically? Or is it overkill? I assume 60AH is also heavier.

I got the 60 to power a radar dashcam

 

[Speedy Emira]

Is a 60 AH better than 40 AH for the Emira specifically? Or is it overkill? I assume 60AH is also heavier.

For sure I’d go for the 60 amp/hr because if starting gets hard in cold weather the smaller battery could get damaged.

 

[Blackthought_]

Is a 60 AH better than 40 AH for the Emira specifically? Or is it overkill? I assume 60AH is also heavier.

I’ve had the 40ah for my Evora GT through cold NJ winters and it was just fine (using the car at least once a week or every other week)

 

[Eagle7]

I ordered the 40aH one from GRP just a few weeks ago, and it was $799. I just looked and it's now $819. Prices for everything are going up everywhere, and fast.