Caterham is turning to Yamaha to help develop its Project V electric sports car, the company announced Wednesday.
A production version will use a Yamaha-developed powertrain, as well as technology from the Japanese company for "vehicle motion control," according to Caterham. A prototype is being developed by Tokyo R&D, an engineering company with experience building manufacturer-commissioned prototypes, and is expected to be completed in 2025.
Caterham Project V concept electric sports car
Revealed in concept form in July 2023, the Project V holds true to the light-and-lean formula exemplified by Caterham's signature Seven. It wouldn't replace the Seven, Caterham said at the time. But it could be something new in the world of electric vehicles: a truly light, minimalist sports car without the high price of the original Tesla Roadster.
Caterham previously said it was targeting a weight of just over 2,600 pounds for the Project V. That will be made possible in part by a relatively small 55-kwh battery pack. The rear-wheel drive concept version was powered by a single 200-kw (268-hp) electric motor mounted at the rear axle.
Caterham Project V concept electric sports car
Specifications may change for the production version, but Caterham estimated a 0-62 mph time of less than 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph for the concept version. At the time of the concept's reveal, Caterham was also targeting 249 miles of WLTP range, which might translate to about 200 miles on the EPA cycle.
Yamaha entered the business of EV motors in 2020, with plans to supply electric powertrains to existing automakers much as it once did with V-8 engines for the Ford Taurus SHO and Volvo S90 and XC90. In 2021, the company followed up its initial announcement with a high-power motor for very fast EVs. Now it's finally getting a chance to put some of that development work to good use.
