Caterham EV Seven previews all-electric sports car

The Caterham Seven offers some of the purest driving thrills of any car on sale, with a pared-back, lightweight formula that not much can match. As the model hits its 50th anniversary, the Dartford-based marque has launched the EV Seven, a first look at a future all-electric iteration. There are currently no plans for it to enter production, but the concept has made its debut at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Unlike some more recent performance EVs, the EV Seven doesn’t adopt a bespoke electric platform, instead utilising the Seven’s tried-and-tested architecture. The technology at its core is entirely new though, with Caterham having partnered with Swindon Powertrain for the development of a unique powertrain solution.

> Caterham’s electric sports car plans – the inside story

Within the larger Seven SV chassis, Caterham has fitted a 51kWh (40kWh usable) battery pack, featuring immersion cooling for increased performance and charging speeds – a unique Motul dielectric fluid remains in direct contact with the battery cells at all times, ensuring heat is managed as efficiently as possible. The result is an impressive 152kW peak DC charging speed and the ability to charge for less time than you spend driving during a track day – Caterham has aimed for a 20-15-20 ‘track drive cycle’, said to enable 20 minutes of track driving, 15 minutes of charging and a further 20 minutes of driving. 

Despite the EV stereotype, Caterham has managed to keep weight to a reasonable level, increasing the overall figure by just 70kg over the current ICE variant. This increased weight is also in the right place, with the battery housed in the engine bay and transmission tunnel for optimum weight distribution.

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Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham, said: ‘Any future EV model 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.’

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Powering the EV Seven is a bespoke, rear-mounted Swindon Powertrain motor, producing 240bhp at 9000rpm and an instantaneous 184lb ft for a c340bhp/ton power-to-weight ratio. The 0-60mph sprint is expected to come in around 4sec, with top speed at 130mph. A limited-slip differential is equipped too, with the motor connected to a single-speed transmission. 

The chassis is standard Caterham (albeit the wider SV derivative rather than the narrower S3 chassis), with the 420 Cup’s excellent adjustable Bilstein dampers fitted as standard. Wheels are 13-inch all-round, wrapped in sticky Avon ZZR tyres, with four-piston brakes and regenerative braking helping it come to a swift stop.

The Caterham EV Seven won’t make it to production in its current form, but its made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. As we found out from Caterham CEO Graham Macdonald last year, an electric Seven wasn't firm in the company's plans due to the weight and energy density limitations of EV technology, but the company seems to have identified a solution with Swindon Powertrain. 

Caterham EV Seven specs