Lotus Evija X Crashes Seconds After Starting Run at Goodwood Festival

The 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed saw an unexpected twist during last Thursday’s Supercar Run when the highly anticipated Lotus Evija X crashed seconds after starting its hill climb. Fortunately, the driver emerged unharmed, though the incident was a significant setback for Lotus.

As the Evija X began its run, it performed a smoky burnout before veering sharply to the right, colliding with a hay bale barrier. The crash, captured on video by a YouTube user named LittleT, shows the powerful EV’s front end demolished within moments of starting its climb. The footage, only 47 seconds long, provides two angles of the accident, clearly depicting the car’s sudden and violent turn.

Although neither Goodwood nor Lotus have released official footage, the live-streamed event provided immediate commentary. One of Goodwood’s commentators quickly theorized that the crash resulted from a computer software issue rather than driver error. “It’s a computer software issue this one,” the commentator said. “Something has happened with the power going to the individual wheels that has spat him off there.”

The Evija X was making its UK debut at Goodwood, adding to the disappointment of the crash. Just three months prior, the quad-motor, 2,000-horsepower EV had achieved the third-fastest lap in Nürburgring history, setting high expectations for its performance at Goodwood. The crash not only marred this anticipated event but also hinted at potentially steep repair costs for the $2.3 million hypercar.

Incidents involving crashes into hay bales at Goodwood are not uncommon, but the Evija X crash is particularly notable given its technological advancements and the hype surrounding its debut. As Lotus investigates the cause, the focus remains on understanding the software issue that may have led to the crash and ensuring future reliability and performance for their groundbreaking EV.