Caterham’s Project V is a lightweight electric car concept

Caterham has aimed to blend its legendary attention to lightness with an electric powertrain in its new Project V concept.

Set to undergo its full public debut at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the Project V is designed to be ‘lightweight and simple’, just like the firm’s memorable Seven.

Powered by a 268bhp electric motor mounted on the rear axle, the Project V is able to accelerate from zero to 60mph in 4.3 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 143mph. With a 55kWh battery pack, it’s able to return up to 249 miles of range, too, while a 20 to 80 per cent charge could take around 15 minutes when the car is connected to a rapid 150kW unit.

Caterham says that it targeted a total weight of 1,190kg in the Project V, which uses a two-plus-one seating configuration, with mass reduced through the use of a carbon fibre and aluminium composite chassis. A conventional two-plus-two seating setup will also be available as an option.

Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham Cars Ltd 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.”

Laishley also says that the Project V has a target price of ‘less than £80,000’ and that it could enter the market towards the ‘end of 2025 or early 2026’.

The interior of the car features a driver-focused infotainment system which incorporates smartphone mirroring systems, while a digital instrument cluster relays key information back to the driver. Different modes can be cycled through, too, with Normal, Sport and Sprint tweaking the steering and acceleration for different driving situations.

Laishley added: “Project V isn’t instead of Seven, it’s complimentary 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.”