Uploaded November 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For more information on sports car aerodynamics:
- Gordon Murray T50: youtu.be/FSaI6STYIQA
- 300 MPH custom Lamborghini: youtu.be/N9kMQBBMUdM
- Porsche Taycan - part 1: youtu.be/K2jgsgihZ_w
- Porsche Taycan - part 2: youtu.be/kyHjWGnrByQ
In this video, we’ll cover the advanced aerodynamic features of the upcoming Lotus Evija electric hypercar.
From a distance, the Lotus looks relatively normal, at least for a hypercar. But the closer you get, the more hidden channels you discover. At the front, underneath the hood, the air is guided between the wheels and the center of the car, to exit a bit further downstream at the sides of the car. The air that has chosen to go on top of the hood, tumbles down to the flanks to enter the air intakes on the side of the car to exit at the back.
We didn’t yet obtain a 3D model of the Evija, but we have something that comes quite close. The Aquilo is a concept car I designed 10 years ago, featuring roughly the same channels. Let’s have a look at how they help to improve aerodynamic performance.
In this concept, the air enters the car in the middle and then splits left & right to exit on the sides. This helps to reduce the virtual frontal area of the car, something Lotus refers to as aerodynamic porosity. This same porosity can be seen at the back, where large channels take the air in on the sides and spit it back out at the rear. This air helps to fill the low-pressure bubble at the back of the car, greatly reducing the wake it leaves behind, as shown by these red pressure clouds. This helps a great deal to reduce the drag of the car and thus increases range and top speed.
Beyond reducing drag, the channels in the Aquilo are meant to split the air left & right in an asymmetric way. This generates lateral forces to help the car corner faster. The concept was patented and later on referenced to in patents of Ferrari and Toyota. So perhaps the Lotus Evija hasn’t revealed it’s full potential yet, let’s see what the future brings!
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The AirShaper videos cover the basics of aerodynamics (aerodynamic drag, drag & lift coefficients, boundary layer theory, flow separation, reynolds number...), simulation aspects (computational fluid dynamics, CFD meshing, ...) and aerodynamic testing (wind tunnel testing, flow visualization, ...).
We then use those basics to explain the aerodynamics of (race) cars (aerodynamic efficiency of electric vehicles, aerodynamic drag, downforce, aero maps, formula one aerodynamics, ...), drones and airplanes (propellers, airfoils, electric aviation, eVTOLS, ...), motorcycles (wind buffeting, motogp aerodynamics, ...) and more!
For more information, visit airshaper.com
For more information on sports car aerodynamics:
- Gordon Murray T50: youtu.be/FSaI6STYIQA
- 300 MPH custom Lamborghini: youtu.be/N9kMQBBMUdM
- Porsche Taycan - part 1: youtu.be/K2jgsgihZ_w
- Porsche Taycan - part 2: youtu.be/kyHjWGnrByQ
In this video, we’ll cover the advanced aerodynamic features of the upcoming Lotus Evija electric hypercar.
From a distance, the Lotus looks relatively normal, at least for a hypercar. But the closer you get, the more hidden channels you discover. At the front, underneath the hood, the air is guided between the wheels and the center of the car, to exit a bit further downstream at the sides of the car. The air that has chosen to go on top of the hood, tumbles down to the flanks to enter the air intakes on the side of the car to exit at the back.
We didn’t yet obtain a 3D model of the Evija, but we have something that comes quite close. The Aquilo is a concept car I designed 10 years ago, featuring roughly the same channels. Let’s have a look at how they help to improve aerodynamic performance.
In this concept, the air enters the car in the middle and then splits left & right to exit on the sides. This helps to reduce the virtual frontal area of the car, something Lotus refers to as aerodynamic porosity. This same porosity can be seen at the back, where large channels take the air in on the sides and spit it back out at the rear. This air helps to fill the low-pressure bubble at the back of the car, greatly reducing the wake it leaves behind, as shown by these red pressure clouds. This helps a great deal to reduce the drag of the car and thus increases range and top speed.
Beyond reducing drag, the channels in the Aquilo are meant to split the air left & right in an asymmetric way. This generates lateral forces to help the car corner faster. The concept was patented and later on referenced to in patents of Ferrari and Toyota. So perhaps the Lotus Evija hasn’t revealed it’s full potential yet, let’s see what the future brings!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The AirShaper videos cover the basics of aerodynamics (aerodynamic drag, drag & lift coefficients, boundary layer theory, flow separation, reynolds number...), simulation aspects (computational fluid dynamics, CFD meshing, ...) and aerodynamic testing (wind tunnel testing, flow visualization, ...).
We then use those basics to explain the aerodynamics of (race) cars (aerodynamic efficiency of electric vehicles, aerodynamic drag, downforce, aero maps, formula one aerodynamics, ...), drones and airplanes (propellers, airfoils, electric aviation, eVTOLS, ...), motorcycles (wind buffeting, motogp aerodynamics, ...) and more!
For more information, visit airshaper.com
