Caterham Project V EV gets Yamaha power
Yamaha Motors will partner with Caterham as the British firm ramps up the development of its all-new Project V sportscar – an EV with an impressive target weight of less than 1,200kg.
Music to the ears of many enthusiasts is the news that Yamaha – builder of some of the world's fastest motorcycles – will supply Caterham with its cutting-edge e-axle motor that, given the company's pedigree, you can expect to be both lightweight and powerful with around 270PS (199kW) on offer for a (very) sub-five-second 0-62mph time.
Yamaha recently announced it will be a technical partner to Lola in next year's Formula E Championship, confirming its dedication to developing its electric powertrains, while its e-axle has already featured in the quad-motor 1,088PS (800kW) Subaru STI E-RA.
Along with supplying the motor, Yamaha will also provide expertise in "vehicle motion control", which should come easily to a company that has mastered putting plus-200PS (147KW) through a single, relatively narrow contact patch.
Yamaha won't just bring engineering support; you can also expect the Caterham minnow to pass some of the financial burden on the Japanese titan. Good news, as lack of funding ended Caterham's last attempt at a lightweight sportscar; it originally partnered with Alpine in the A110 project until the French company realised Caterhan missed a key ingredient – money.
The first running and driving Project V prototypes will be built by engineering specialist Tokyo R&D and are due to be completed next year. You can expect to wait a couple more years to see a finished car in showrooms, Caterham is targeting a £80,000 starting price.
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