Lotus launches Type 136 electric road bike
Lotus has unveiled the Type 136, a new performance model featuring the lightest e-bike motor from HPS.
Handmade in Italy, the lightweight carbon fibre frame and state-of-the-art components mean Type 136 weighs just 9.8 kilograms. It features V-shaped handlebars, wing-shaped forks, and vaulted chain stays, helping it carve through the air with speed and efficiency.
The innovation continues with the battery, disguised as a water bottle and detached from the frame at the push of a button.
The bike’s Watt Assist Pro Motor system is derived from the Mars Lander Project – where limited weight and zero maintenance were critical factors to the mission’s success. It is the lightest e-bike motor system on the market from HPS and weighs just 1.2kg in total. An elegant and compact bottom bracket shell that seamlessly integrates into the bike’s frame, the motor itself weighs just 300 grams.
In tribute to Lotus’ tradition of Type numbers for its new models, Type 136 is available as an exclusive limited first edition launch production run of just 136 bikes. These will be individually numbered and available in an iconic motorsport livery. The standard model will go on sale in Spring 2024.
The aero design has been inspired by Lotus’ gold medal-winning success in Olympic velodromes around the world, from the iconic Type 108 bike at the 1992 Barcelona Games to the most recent competition at Tokyo 2020. There, the Hope/Lotus track bike helped the Great Britain track cycling team top the event medal table.
Type 108 rewrote the rule book on bike design and is recognised as one of the most iconic machines of all time, inspiring a generation of professional cyclists such as Sir Chris Hoy.
The six-time Olympic Champion is now a Lotus brand ambassador. Speaking at the world premiere of Type 136, he said: “This is an incredible bike, which says so much about the pioneering endeavours of Lotus and the iconic status of its bikes over the years. As a teenager I vividly remember watching Chris Boardman powering Type 108 to a gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 and smashing records on Type 110 to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France two years later.”
Feng Qingfeng, CEO, Lotus Group, commented: “I am proud to launch the Lotus Type 136 as the next chapter in our high-performance journey. For the past 75 years, Lotus has been relentlessly pushing the boundaries of innovation on the road and track. Type 136 shows that we continue to do so. Launching alongside Eletre, Emeya and Evija, it will further expand global perceptions of what to expect from Lotus.”
The Lotus Type 136 was unveiled at an exclusive VIP event at the Lotus London brand store and will be showcased at Rouleur LIVE in London from 2-4 November 2023.
