Caterham presents the electric EV Seven

It took a long time, but now it has finally become a reality: The British sports car manufacturer Caterham, now under Japanese ownership, has presented its first electric vehicle. However, they are proceeding cautiously: The concept is intended to "test the feasibility of a lightweight electric Seven and allow Caterham to take a step closer to launching a battery-electric model that is just as driver-oriented as its petrol-powered counterpart," the British company states very subtly.

Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham, also explained:

"We currently have no plans to put the EV Seven into production – this is a trial run to see how well an electric drivetrain works for our customers' specific use cases."

The main problem: The EV Seven almost entirely consists of batteries and is heavier than the lightest combustion models. And: It should also be usable on racetracks for extended periods. Nevertheless, Laishley wants to learn and tackle the challenge:

"We are approaching this project with open eyes to learn how we can achieve the specific characteristics of a Caterham vehicle that are necessary for a Seven: lightweight, simple, and a lot of driving fun. We will bring this concept to market at the right time when the next generation of battery technology allows, and that's why now is the right time for us to test the concept."

Laishey also explains:

"Building a Seven suitable for a Sunday morning drive is feasible with the current battery technology, but the challenge is its use on the racetrack, where energy consumption is significantly increased. Currently, immersion cooling of the batteries is one of the best solutions to handle the rapid charge and discharge cycles on a racetrack."

The EV Seven was developed with the drivetrain experts at Swindon Powertrain. It is based on the larger Seven chassis and features a custom version of a Swindon Powertrain e-axle in combination with a cooled battery pack. The liquid is in direct contact with the individual battery cells and is intended to enable better thermal management during charging and discharging cycles.

The e-axle from Swindon Powertrain delivers 177 kW/240 hp at 9,000 revolutions per minute and a maximum torque of 250 Nm. This should allow acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in about 4.0 seconds. The drivetrain has been designed to match the performance characteristics of the current production Seven to ensure that the EV Seven exhibits similar driving behavior to the combustion model, the officials explain.

Laishley demands with a future perspective that the brand must not be diluted:

“Every future electric car model that we produce must remain true to the DNA of a Caterham: lightweight, driving fun-oriented, and driver-focused. The main goal of this project is to develop a vehicle with a weight delta that is no more than that of a passenger on board. We will never introduce a one-ton Seven to the market – we would rather not do it.”

Every electric Seven must be usable both on the road and on the track. For the track, this means that it must be able to drive there for 20 minutes and have enough energy for another 20 minutes after 15 minutes of recharging.

According to Caterham, the weight increase in the electric car is less than 70 kilograms compared to the current production Seven with a combustion engine on which it is based. This results in a total mass of just under 700 kilograms. The 51-kWh battery (of which only 40 kWh is usable, which is relatively little) is housed in the engine compartment and the transmission tunnel and can be charged with a direct current fast charging power (DC) of up to 152 kW – which is quite a lot. The usable capacity is limited to only 40 kWh so that the battery can withstand demanding track uses and subsequent fast charges without premature degradation.

What does this mean?

Building a Super Seven electrically is not quite so easy – if you don't want to shake the DNA too much. That’s why the EV Seven consists almost entirely of a battery under the hood! And at 700 kg it is comparatively “heavy.” Nevertheless, the vehicle is likely to one day go into production. What is currently being offered does not look bad…