Driver Magazine - Issue 1 Dec 24 (3) - Flipbook - Page 30
A CONVERSATION WITH
ALEX ALLORO
BY ROB HARVEY
Alex Alloro is the Lead Connectivity Engineer at Lotus Cars as
well as a racing driver. Earlier on in the year, I spoke with Alex
about his work and his racing career.
You describe yourself as a petrol head, where did this love
come from?
There must have been some glitch when my DNA sequence was
created. It’s not something that was transmitted by my parents,
but it has always been there, that undescriptive excitement for
motor vehicles.
It must have come from when my mum used to take me to this
park, where they had the coolest electric bikes and mini-F1 cars,
with the classic livery such as the iconic red and white. I guess it
must have also come from there.
You’re obviously heavily involved in the automotive industry
with your job at Lotus. Could you tell us about your role?
I am responsible for overseeing the infotainment and
connectivity systems on the Emira project. It is an incredibly
exciting role as I am involved in every stage of the project, from
design to production. My primary responsibility is to ensure that
our systems meet customer and program demands while also
adhering to legal regulations. This involves collaborating with
various aspects of vehicle engineering, with designers,
manufacturing, engineering, quality control and more.
As the system owner, it is essential for me to ensure that my
colleagues have access to the most up-to-date information
related to our system.
Lotus are moving towards more electric vehicles, do you
believe this is the future of the automotive industry?
It is legally the future of the automotive industry, at least in
Europe as we know with the petrol ban comes into force from
2035.
Manufacturers must adapt to these regulations and massively
invest in these technologies if they want a chance to survive in a
competitive environment.
Do I believe in it? Yes, I think EVs have their share in the market,
they are convenient, innovative and can be fun to drive. However,
I do not believe in it as a unique solution, it is for me an irrational
decision on many levels. I hope that other alternatives, such as
synthetic fuels will prove to be a good enough alternative to face
the current environmental challenges and also give us more
choices.
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