Caterham And Yamaha Join Hands To Develop Sporty Electric Car

Caterham has confirmed that it will collaborate with Yamaha to make its upcoming all-new, fully-electric sports coupe, Project V. The legendary Japanese bikemaker will supply the Dartford-based sports car maker its latest e-axle that will be used inthe prototype model. 

The prototype model of the Project V is being built in Tokyo R&D, a specialist engineering house with a proven track-record in developing major OEM-commissioned prototype and production vehicles. 

Like a typical Caterham, the Project V will also be a lightweight coupe at 1190 kg, despite its 2+1 configuration. It will be powered by a 55 kWh lithium-ion battery paired to a 200 kW electric motor that is mounted on the rear axle. Caterham says that the Project V will be able to catapult from 0-100 kmph in just under 5 seconds, and reach a top speed of 230 kmph. And still return WLTP-certified range of 400 km. 

It’s built around the same platform as the Caterham 7. However, with the Project V, the manufacturer has gone beyond and implemented lightweight carbon fibre and composites to make the body and chassis. 

Caterham is yet to reveal an exact launch date for the Project V. However, the manufacturer had earlier stated that it will hit production by 2025 or 2026. The design concept was officially unveiled at last year's Goodwood Festival Speed and later at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The prototype model is due for completion in mid-2025, so going by that timeline it should production should hit somewhere in2026.