Caterham Teams Up with Yamaha for Electric Sports Car Project

Caterham’s pushing forward with its electric sports car plans, tapping Yamaha for some serious EV know-how.

The Collaboration

The British sports car maker announced it’s partnering with Yamaha to develop its Project V electric sports car. Yamaha’s not just providing the powertrain – they’re also bringing their “vehicle motion control” tech to the table.

Tokyo R&D, an engineering firm with a solid track record in prototype building, is handling the development. They’re aiming to have a prototype ready by 2025.

Project V: A Lightweight EV Revolution?

Caterham unveiled the Project V concept last July, and it’s staying true to the company’s lightweight philosophy. They’re targeting a weight of just over 2,600 pounds – pretty impressive for an EV.

The concept version packed:

• A 55-kWh battery pack
• A single 268-hp electric motor
• Rear-wheel drive
• 0-62 mph in under 4.5 seconds
• Top speed of 143 mph

Caterham’s aiming for about 249 miles of range on the WLTP cycle. That might translate to roughly 200 miles EPA.

Yamaha’s EV Expertise

Yamaha’s been in the EV motor game since 2020, looking to supply powertrains to automakers. In 2021, they unveiled a high-power motor for performance EVs. Now, they’re finally getting to flex those electric muscles with Caterham.

EVXL’s Take

This Caterham-Yamaha team-up could be a game-changer for lightweight electric sports cars. We’ve seen some impressive performance EVs lately, like those covered in our Porsche section, but a truly lightweight, affordable electric sports car has been elusive.

If Caterham can pull this off, it might just bridge the gap between traditional sports car enthusiasts and the EV world. It’ll be interesting to see how this project develops compared to other upcoming electric sports cars.

What do you think about Caterham’s electric ambitions? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​