- Yamaha will supple its e-axle and motion control technology for Caterham's Project V
- The Caterham Project V is an electric sports car
- Caterham hasn't said when the Project V will go on sale, but a completed prototype is expected in 2025
Yamaha will supply a powertrain and other technology for the Caterham Project V electric sports car, Caterham announced Wednesday.
The Project V was revealed in concept form at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, but Caterham said at the time that it planned to bring it to production—a process that's now underway. A prototype currently under development will use a Yamaha e-axle and "technology and expertise in vehicle motion control," the Yamaha said.
Caterham Project V
Caterham isn't discussing a targeted on-sale date, but expects the prototype to be completed in 2025. The prototype will be built by Tokyo R&D, a specialist engineering firm with experience in building one-off prototypes for automakers.
Yamaha is primarily known for motorcycles, but it also has some experience with four-wheeled vehicles. It's developed combustion powertrains for automakers, including V-8 engines for the Ford Taurus SHO in the 1990s and the Volvo S90 and XC90 in the early 2000s. The company also had a less-than-spectacular run as a Formula 1 engine supplier, and is now partnering with Lola Cars on a Formula E campaign. Yamaha was also responsible for tuning the Lexus LFA's exhaust system.
Caterham Project V concept electric sports car
At one time, Yamaha even had plans to build its own sports car using Gordon Murray's iStream production process, but in 2020 it shifted focus to supplying electric powertrains to existing automakers. Now it's getting the opportunity to do that for a sports-car project like the one it abandoned.
Best known for its lightweight track cars based on the original Lotus Seven design, Caterham aims to apply the same ethos of lightness and simplicity to the Project V. The concept version had a 268-hp motor powering the rear wheels and a relatively small 55-kwh battery pack, helping to hit a targeted curb weight of 2,624 pounds and achieve a 0-62 mph time of less than 4.5 seconds. Caterham has also shown electric Seven prototypes, but plans to launch the Project V first in part because it believes current battery tech is too heavy for a car like the Seven.