Lotus Emeya sets new production EV record at Sepang circuit

As the EV population begins to grow, it’s natural for people to explore the limits of performance of fully electric vehicles. There are already races like Formula E and Extreme E which bring EVs into the competitive arena.

Lap times at circuits are also another way to show how EVs can perform and at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit recently, a Lotus Emeya set a new record for production EVs. Notably, the time was achieved using a standard production-specification car straight from the showroom.

7 seconds quicker than earlier record
Driven by GT racing driver Daniel Lu, the Hyper-GT completed a timed lap in 2:20.317, hitting a top speed of 248.8 km/h during the run. The recorded lap time is over 7 seconds quicker than the previous publicly reported EV lap time (set earlier in 2026) at the 5.543-km Grand Prix circuit.

The attempt was overseen by a Lotus Group Vehicle Dynamics Engineer to ensure the EV was configured according to standard development principles. It was the second official Time Attack conducted by Lotus at the circuit, following an internal combustion engine benchmark set in 2025.

Engineering exercise as well
According to Chong Yok Meng, Senior Director for Chassis and Vehicle Dynamics at Lotus, the run served as an engineering exercise to demonstrate how modern EV platforms can sustain high performance and handling precision under rigorous circuit conditions.

In that previous session, the Emira recorded a lap time of 2:27.932 with Tengku Djan Ley at the wheel. The newer all-electric counterpart completed the circuit approximately 7.6 seconds quicker than the petrol-powered model.

Showroom specs
The showroom-spec Emeya R powertrain outputs 905 ps/985 Nm, which goes to all four wheels. Power is sent through an all-wheel-drive system, enabling a 0 – 100 km/h acceleration time of 2.8 seconds. Prices of the Emeya range from RM459,000 to RM729,000 (without insurance).