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Ultra lightweight British sports car builder Caterham has built its heaviest vehicle ever. Called Project V, it’s an electric sports car concept with 250 miles of range, 268 horsepower, and a curb weight of 2,623 pounds. “Heaviest-ever” is a bit of a loaded phrase when it comes to Caterham, unlike that other lightweight British sports car builder.
Billed as a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive, fully-electric coupe, it’s one of the few cars ever—concept or not—to attempt to combine all those attributes into one vehicle. The only other BEV sports car ever sold to the public in considerable numbers was the original Tesla Roadster, which weighed around 2,800 pounds and produced about as much horsepower as Project V. The Caterham is vastly improved in several important ways.
Caterham says the Project V can go from 20% to 80% state of charge in just 15 minutes at 150 kW, which is comparable to many other conventional EVs sold today. It likewise operates at 400 volts, which is pretty standard for new EVs. Its battery pack is described as a “55-kWh USOC lithium-ion battery pack with advanced thermal management,” although the company does not define what USOC stands for, nor what “advanced thermal management” entails. It may be similar to its earlier EV Seven concept, which used a 400-volt battery with cells completely immersed in a “dielectric [cooling] fluid developed by Motul specifically for high-performance EV batteries,” according to a Caterham representative.
Project V’s estimated range of 249 miles is on the European WLTP scale, which is typically more liberal than the EPA’s rating system. Some simple math reveals that Project V would have to achieve around 4.5 miles per kWh to get that kind of range, which is an ambitious average but certainly not impossible.
Caterham provided no details on the car’s rear-mounted, 200-kW electric motor outside of its power output. Motor inverter information was also not provided. Other powertrain details like battery chemistry and location were likewise not given.
Outside of the powertrain, the car has “fully adjustable” double wishbone suspension and high-performance brakes all around. The interior likewise features an interesting 2+1 seating configuration, which translates into two front passengers and one rear, which looks a little odd. However, the company says a 2+2 layout will also be offered. The car’s carbon body was produced by Italdesign, although it was actually designed by Anthony Jannarelly, Caterhamn’s Chief Designer.
The car will be fully revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this Thursday, July 13, when we expect to learn more about it. If it enters production, Caterham expects to have them on sale by the end of 2025 for about $100,000 apiece.
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