Richard Hammond gets behind the wheel of the Lotus Evija, a 2,000hp electric hypercar that promises enough performance to rearrange your internal organs.  

At Lotus’ Hethel test track, he joins engineering and motorsport boss Gav Kershaw to explore its four-motor powertrain, a claimed 0–300km/h time of less than 10 seconds and a frankly ridiculous 1,600kg of downforce.  

There’s also the small matter of its unmistakable electric soundtrack. But with all that power and technology, can this battery-powered monster deliver the sharp handling, driver involvement and unmistakable character that have defined Lotus for decades?  

Hammond takes it for a proper drive to find out whether the Evija is a true Lotus — or simply a very expensive way to make the horizon disappear.