Pure-electric Caterham Seven primed for 2023 debut

Caterham has revealed that it is developing a full-electric version of the Caterham Seven that will guarantee the sports car will remain relevant in the face of ever-tightening emissions regulations and future combustion engine bans.

Expected to be introduced by 2023, the new battery-powered Seven will "ride and handle like a Caterham", according to company chief Graham Macdonald, speaking to Brit mag Autocar.

The move to electrify the Caterham Seven will, Macdonald hopes, ensure the brand continues for "another 50 years".

Staying true to the Caterham philosophy, the car-maker says it will investigate and develop new tech to keep weight at a bare minimum to preserve the Seven's trademark agility.

It's thought some of the weight-saving measures being considered include reducing the number of components normally associated with pure-electric vehicles and ditching complex features like regenerative braking.

Despite featuring significant changes over the standard car and potentially requiring the development of a new platform, the electric Seven will stay true to the original's design.

Inside, Caterham is considering offering more space and potentially extra features to improve comfort.

But no compromises will be made when it comes to performance, with the EV Seven set to complete the 0-100km/h dash in less than 2.8 seconds.

According Macdonald, electric prototypes based on the current Seven are already being tested and are claimed to offer a two-pedal experience akin to a go-kart.

There's no word on where Caterham plans to source its electric components.

As well as road-going versions, the small British sports car-maker is also considering racing versions with interchangeable batteries.

Despite the push to electric power, Caterham's boss says the company remains committed to petrol power, although the UK's upcoming 2030 petrol ban could see it drop combustion engines from all its road cars.

Another legislative hurdle Caterham is facing is mandatory EU rules that could force even small car-makers to introduce autonomous emergency braking (AEB) on all its vehicles by 2024.

However, Macdonald says he's confident Caterham will be excluded on the grounds of its small volumes.

Also helping its position, Caterham has struck an agreement with fellow British firm Morgan to share the cost of developing new tech, testing and homologation processes.