Rumors have been swirling for years about a battery-powered Caterham, and now there's official evidence that the automaker is indeed working on such a product. Enter the Caterham EV Seven concept, a vehicle that stays true to the brand's signature formula but swaps out the combustion engine for a purely electric powertrain.

Collaborating with Swindon Powertrain, Caterham equips the EV Seven with an electric motor and auxiliary components. The system boasts a peak power of 240 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of instant torque. While the top speed remains undisclosed, the EV Seven can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in approximately 4.0 seconds.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Caterham envisions the electric Seven as a track toy. Impressively, the concept weighs only about 154 pounds (70 kilograms) more than its combustion-powered counterpart, the Seven 485. With a total vehicle mass of under 1,543 lbs (700 kg), the EV Seven is designed to provide 20-minute drive sessions followed by 15-minute charging intervals and another 20 minutes of track fun.

Powering the EV Seven is a 51-kilowatt-hour battery with a usable capacity of around 40 kWh. Caterham has implemented a larger buffer in the battery to withstand demanding track use and rapid charging. Speaking of charging, the EV Seven supports peak DC charging power of up to 152 kilowatts.

To enhance its performance, the electric Caterham borrows hardware upgrades from the Seven 420 Cup, including a limited-slip differential and adjustable Bilstein dampers. Noteworthy additions for a Seven model include regenerative braking and quad-piston brake calipers.

While Caterham currently has no plans for production, the EV Seven will serve as a test bed to evaluate the viability of electric powertrains for their customers' specific use cases. Car enthusiasts can catch a glimpse of the EV Seven during this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, with another electric Caterham concept set to be revealed later in 2023.

Source: Caterham