The total production run compares closely to the 150 Pininfarina expects for its Battista EV, although the Italian badge hasn’t said how its sales are faring.

It’s not completely unexpected that Lotus would sell out. The hypercar world is dominated by ultra-wealthy customers who frequently snap up vehicles without a moment’s hesitation, to the point where manufacturers sometimes announce cars that have already been spoken for. However, the market for electric hypercars is still very young. Lotus’ performance suggests that many of these customers have no qualms about spending their fortunes on zero-emissions hypercars, and that bodes well for the cachet of EVs among car fans with more reasonably-sized bank accounts.

According to Lotus, the hypercar has “entered its initial build phase in the UK.” That should put it on track for production in 2020 when it will debut as “the most powerful production series road car in the world.” In a statement, executive director Matt Windle said “Everything about the Evija is ‘For The Drivers’. I don’t believe there is another EV in the world that can claim this. From the mid-engined-inspired Lotus layout, to the aerodynamics and downforce, the driving position, vehicle stance and unbelievable performance. It is instantly recognisable as special with a unique character, yet it is unquestionably a Lotus.”

Increasingly it’s become difficult for smaller automakers to go it alone. Enter Geely. The Chinese company’s ownership of Volvo has helped that brand grow sales and deliver an impressive stable of new and updated vehicles. Now it’s infusing Lotus with the cash it needs to do the same thing.

“Think about the ambitious business plan that we got, we could never hope to invest the sort of money on new product development,” said Lotus CEO, Phil Popham. “We’re investing multiples of our revenue to the course over the next three to five years on the product development alone.”

It’s not just money, Geely gives Lotus access to technology from other subsidiaries including engineering resources. “It’s like going into a candy store,” Popham said. That also means that Lotus doesn’t have to start from scratch when working on infotainment and ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems). But Popham noted that you won’t see a generic infotainment system from another Geely property just badged with Lotus branding.

But it’s a two-way street, Lotus has decades of aerodynamics and road dynamics experience it can share with the Geely group.

That’s all well and good, but for right now Lotus is showing that it’s thinking about the future in a very big way. It’s Evija supercar is touted as the world’s most powerful electric car with a goal of 1972 horsepower. It’s a bold plan of action but probably a smart one.

This car has put the automaker back into the spotlight. The car’s design, while a bit more busy than earlier Lotus offerings, still exudes the automaker’s classic aesthetic with an eye-catching ode to a bright and shiny future. Throw in a top speed of over 200 miles an hour, a zero to 62 time of under three seconds and a $2.1 million price tag and it’s gotten everyone’s attention.

Only 103 units will be sold. Which is typical of these types of vehicles. Fortunately for those of us that want Lotus styling and handling without ponying up the GDP of a small city, the automaker is already working on another sports car it’ll show off at the end of 2020.

But it won’t be electric. The automaker is embracing EVs but it’s not ditching combustion engines anytime soon. The plan is to have a two-pronged approach; electric and gas. At least for the foreseeable future.

For now, an influx of investment will keep this automaker going for years to come and if Lotus can ride that Geely cash wave the way Volvo has, the next few years are going to be very exciting for fans of British sports cars. And while investment is great, it still comes down to what you do with it. For Popham, “it’s all about the driving experience.” Which is what you want to hear from someone running Lotus.

No, Lotus isn’t ready to spill the beans on its Type 130 electric hypercar. It is, however, ready to give the car a name: meet the Evija (pronounced “ev-eye-a”). While the company’s choice of name is a bit strained — it means “the first in existence” or “the living one” — it makes sense given both Lotus’ traditions and what it represents. The company has long given its cars names starting with E (Esprit, Elise, Exige), and it only seems fitting to name an EV as, well, “Ev.”

Lotus said that the Type 130 will be unveiled in London later this year, but other than a stylized drawing and video (below), offered no details or specifications. Lotus said it will follow in the footsteps of other famous “Type” cars like the Type 78 and Type 88, respectively the world’s first ground effect and carbon fiber F1 cars.

According to a report from last year, the Type 130 could be a $2.5 million hypercar with over 1,000 HP designed to compete with Pininfarina’s Batista and the Rimac Two, both EVs with 1,900 HP, top speeds of over 200 MPH and eye-watering price tags.