All I've learned is that there are 2 HVAC controls available. One is "illuminated" while the other is not and the certified Lotus mechanic that explained this to me says that both parts are "plug & play"(go figure why Lotus would do that, oh, 'cause they're Lotus!). I have personally checked the parts catalog on a few sites and so far, this stands true. I asked another LT member who was nice enough to post a video for me of how and when this "illuminated" HVAC control works, we both have 2011s. It seems that the HVAC goes on as soon as you insert the key and stays on until you take the key out. However, you can control the brightness just as you do for all the other dash displays.
Hope this info can help somebody.
Lee