@Geely: Wed 27 Jul 2022Need to ‘invent big and implement fast’? Unique Lotus Engineering and Iprova partnership brings AI-accelerated approach to transportat…

  • Pioneering collaboration combines AI-enabled invention tech with engineering expertise
  • Iprova supports creation of breakthrough inventions, Lotus Engineering adds proof of concept, design and engineering of products based on them
  • Targeting the transportation sector in its widest sense – from e-scooters to autonomous trucks

Hethel, UK and Lausanne, Switzerland – 1000 BST, Wednesday 27 July 2022

Lotus Engineering and Iprova have announced a partnership which, for the first time, combines the latest AI-enabled way of creating breakthrough inventions with the ability to develop proof of concept, design and engineering of products based on them.

Targeting the transportation sector in its widest sense – from e-scooters to autonomous trucks – the two companies will deploy their respective engineering expertise and data-driven invention technology. The pioneering joint venture will promote innovation at key points of industry disruption, then productionise the resulting inventions more quickly and efficiently than ever before.

The products we all use every day – from mobile devices through to domestic appliances – come to market using technologies drawn from a wide range of business fields. The same is increasingly true for transportation solutions, which now integrate components from the worlds of mobile tech, sustainability and many others.

Lotus has a wealth of experience in identifying and adapting ideas from other fields of industry. Most famously, inspiration for the invention of the now ubiquitous automotive adhesive bonding process pioneered on the Lotus Elise resulted from its development team looking at the non-stick coating used on cookware, then combining this concept with further insights from other domains.

By contrast, Iprova uses data and algorithms to inspire potential inventions and, because this is done in real-time, they are created much sooner and more reliably than using traditional methods.

Iprova’s Invention Studio platform leverages AI, data and automation to transform what can often be very manual and slow-moving invention processes. Its data-driven approach to invention brings a systematic and repeatable process to creating breakthrough inventions across the transportation sector.

Lotus Engineering has world-class prototyping, proof-of-concept and development expertise based on more than four decades of experience as a global consultancy.  It provides comprehensive consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and is internationally recognised for its long-standing contribution to ground-breaking engineering and innovative vehicle development.

Together, Lotus Engineering and Iprova now offer a unique proposition which provides a comprehensive and integrated solution for companies that need to ‘invent big and implement fast’ in order to stay ahead of their competition.

Commenting on the partnership, Julian Nolan, CEO, Iprova, said: “Lotus leads the world in driving dynamics and engagement by enabling the driver to sense feedback from the road.  Our invention platform, Invention Studio, transforms the process of invention by enabling engineers and scientists to sense inventive signals as they occur, in real-time, even if they are very distant to the target invention area. This enables sector-defining inventions to be created with great speed and efficiency.  There are no prizes for coming second in the race to invent and implement and, for this reason, partnering with Lotus Engineering makes perfect sense.  Together we are able to invent and implement faster, minimising the time from opportunity identification through to product launch.”

Mark Stringer, Commercial Director, Lotus Engineering, added: “Our clients have told us that they want to make bold and breakthrough products at key points of disruption. It’s a process driven by creativity and therefore a need to invent.  Iprova’s technology delivers this efficiently at scale and so this collaboration adds a vital new element to our portfolio of consultancy services.”

He added: “Just as there is a need for invention, there is also a need for implementation – to develop proof-of-concept prototypes and then engineer products.  This is what Lotus Engineering provides.  Our own technical services range from design and concept engineering through to full-scale industrialisation, attribute development and even manufacturing.  This partnership with Iprova means we can better support our clients throughout the product development process, aiding collaboration and ingenuity right from the very start.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact the Lotus Communications team:

James Andrew, Executive Director, PR and Communications

jandrew@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7384 830903

Rob Borrett, Head of Media and Launch Programmes

rborrett@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7718 560789

Richard Yarrow, Head of News and Technology Communications

ryarrow@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7471 994525

Alastair Florance, PR Manager, News and Technology

aflorance@lotuscars.co.uk

+ 44 (0) 7802 918662

Samantha Thomas, PR Officer, Product Press and Digital Media

sthomas2@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7909 813785

The Lotus media site – https://media.lotuscars.com – contains news, images, specifications and full details of current models, as well as heritage cars and engineering technology.

For the latest news and information from the Lotus PR Team please follow:

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/group-lotus

About Lotus

Lotus Cars is based in Hethel, Norfolk, UK, and is the global HQ for sports car and hypercar manufacturing operations, Lotus Advanced Performance and the iconic 2.2-mile test track. Lotus Cars builds world-class high-performance cars, born out of legendary success on the racetrack including 13 FIA Formula 1 world titles and many other championship honours. In July 2021 Lotus unveiled the all-new Lotus Emira, its last petrol-powered sports car and best-of-breed, and in July 2019 it launched the Evija, the world’s first all-electric British hypercar. Customer deliveries of both cars will begin during 2022. In March 2022 Lotus revealed the Eletre, the world’s first all-electric hyper-SUV. Customer deliveries will begin in 2023. The Lotus Type 135, an all-electric sports car, is currently being designed and engineered at Hethel.

Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. It is internationally recognised for its long-standing contribution to ground-breaking engineering and innovative vehicle development. Its expertise extends beyond automotive; in August 2021 a Lotus Engineering-developed track bike helped Team GB’s cyclists win seven medals, including three golds, at the Tokyo Olympics. An international consultancy with offices around the world, Lotus Engineering is headquartered at the Lotus Advanced Technology Centre on the University of Warwick’s Wellesbourne Campus in the UK.

Lotus Tech is an affiliate company of Group Lotus, established as part of the Vision80 strategy established in 2018. With operational assets across China, the UK and Europe, Lotus Tech is dedicated to delivering smart lifestyle battery electric vehicles (BEVs) such as the Eletre. Lotus Tech is focused on R&D in next-generation automobility technologies such as electrification, digitalisation and more. In addition to the Lotus Eletre, Lotus Tech plans to launch further BEV models including a sports sedan (Type 133) another SUV (Type 134) and more, as Vision80 reaches maturity in 2028.

Group Lotus is either the parent company of or affiliated with the above. In 2017, Geely Holding Group, one of the fastest growing automotive group in the world, acquired a 51% stake in Group Lotus. The other 49% is owned by Etika Automotive, a Malaysian conglomerate.

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