Faced with the banishment of thermal power, Caterham must turn to electric
Caterham confirms the launch of a new electric version of its legendary Seven by the middle of the decade. Caterham's new owner is already looking to secure a supply...
26/02/2022
Caterham confirms the launch of a new electric version of its legendary Seven by the middle of the decade. The new owner of Caterham is already looking to secure a supply of motors and batteries.
Caterham faces a dilemma: how to continue to exist when it will be impossible to sell new combustion engine cars from 2030 in the United Kingdom, its main market. If the new owner, VT Holdings, claims to want to continue to offer combustion engines for as long as possible, the fact remains that it will be particularly difficult to find them in the coming years, as the major manufacturers abandon them. . For now, Ford continues to supply Sigma and Duratec blocks, but for how long?
For VT Holding, an electric Caterham is now a necessity. It will still be in the spirit of the Lotus 7, but with a battery and an electric motor on the rear axle. The biggest challenge will be to maintain an acceptable weight for cars whose main selling point is agility.
Already rolling prototypes have been assembled, but we will not see the color of them before the middle of the decade according to VT Holding, which will also have to think of the 50th anniversary of the brand in 2023. It would not be impossible to discover a surprise then at this moment.