New 240kW Caterham EV Seven concept debuts

A new battery-electric Caterham EV Seven concept has been previewed ahead of its official unveiling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 13.

Claimed to offer identical performance to the current 177kW Seven 485, the new Caterham EV Seven prototypes will accelerate to 60mph (97km/h) in around four seconds.

For track-day fans, the Kent-based British car-maker says its first-ever battery-electric sports car is capable of being driven flat-out for 20 minutes before it needs a top-up.

The small Seven then only needs a 15-minute charge at a rate of up to 150kW before the batteries are fully recharged, thanks to a liquid-cooled battery pack.

Developed in co-operation with British Touring Car Championship engine builder, Swindon Powertrain, the prototypes at Goodwood are powered by 51kWh (40kWh usable) batteries and based on a widebody Seven chassis.

A single motor, meanwhile, produces 240kW of power and 250Nm of torque, and is mounted on the rear axle and drives the rear wheels. The set-up also incorporates the Seven’s classic de Dion rear suspension and a limited-slip differential.

Other chassis tech includes adjustable Bilstein dampers from the Seven 420 Cup, plus quad-piston front callipers and regenerative braking.

Giving it an impressive power-to-weight ratio, the battery-powered Seven weighs in at just 701kg – just 70kg more than the Seven 485 powered by a Ford-sourced 2.0-litre four-cylinder Duratec engine.

Commenting on the new Caterham EV Seven, the sports car-maker’s boss, Bob Laishley, said: “Any future EV models we produce must be true to the DNA of a Caterham: lightweight, fun-to-drive and driver focused.

“The main objective for this project is to develop a vehicle with a weight delta of no more than the equivalent of having a passenger on board. We’re never going to launch a one tonne Seven – we’d rather not do it.

“Building a Seven that’s capable of a Sunday morning drive is achievable with current battery technology, but the challenge is for track use where the energy consumption is greatly increased.

“At the moment, immersion battery cooling is one of the best solutions in terms of coping with the rapid charge and discharge cycles that would be experienced on a race track,” added Laishley.

For now, Caterham says there’s no plan to put the EV Seven into production, but the small car-maker has previously confirmed it is developing another all-electric sports car that it will unveil later this year.

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