9:16 am, July 12, 2023
Caterham says it has come up with an electric car that still manages to be lightweight.
The Project V concept, which makes its full public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, weighs 1,190kg, with its mass kept down via a carbon-fibre and aluminium composite chassis.
It’s powered by a 268bhp electric motor and can hit 60mph from zero in 4.3 seconds, reaching 143mph.
The 55kWh battery pack gives a claimed range of up to 249 miles, with a charge from 20 to 80 per cent taking some 15 minutes via a rapid 150kW unit.
Caterham said the Project V, which has a target price of under £80,000 and could enter the market towards the end of 2025 or early 2026, was designed to be ‘lightweight and simple’, as with its Seven.
The fully electric coupé concept has been created by chief designer Anthony Jannarelly and built by Italdesign.
Inside Caterham’s Project V concept electric car
Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham Cars and COO of the newly established Caterham EVo, said: ‘Project V is not just a concept or design study. We’ve conducted engineering and production feasibility throughout the development process.
‘An electric Caterham of any shape and size has to stay true to what sets us apart from everyone else: being lightweight, simple and offering an unparalleled driving experience – that’s our DNA.’
Inside is a driver-focused infotainment system with a smartphone mirroring system.
Meanwhile, a digital instrument cluster relays key information back to the driver.
Normal, Sport and Sprint modes tweak the steering and acceleration for different driving conditions as well.
Laishley added: ‘Project V isn’t instead of Seven, it’s complementary to it, and we believe that by retaining the core Caterham values, it will appeal to both our existing customer base and attract new fans to the brand.
‘By using a more practical coupé body style and by exploiting the packaging benefits of an EV, this is a car that works as well for trips to the shops or the school run as it does for Sunday morning sprints.’
Goodwood Festival of Speed opens tomorrow (Jul 13) and runs until Sunday, July 16.
