Skip advert
Advertisement

Electric Caterhams coming?

British sports car company Caterham hints at electric and hybrid powered future

An electric-powered Caterham is just around the corner.

The sports car firm’s boss – Ansar Ali – has revealed that hybrid and electric powertrains are in development, and that a prototype should be seen before the end of the year.

Interestingly, the car is likely to be developed in motorsport, an avenue Caterham views as a testbed for the new technology. There could be a one-make racing series starring an electric or hybrid Caterham by 2011, which, depending on the outcome, could lead to a road car a year later.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The hybrid and electric drivetrains in question are being sourced from other, unnamed manufacturers. They’re expected to weigh around the same as Caterham’s existing petrol engine and gearbox combinations, meaning the performance of its cars shouldn’t take too much of a dent.

News of Caterham’s forward-thinking technology has emerged at the Tokyo motor show, where the plucky British sports car brand is one of only three European brands on display, alongside Lotus (who unveiled the striking Exige Scura) and Alpina.

Watch our Roger Green race a Caterham round SpaFollow evo on Twitter for the performance car latest

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

My Life & Cars – Jez Coates, ex-Caterham technical director and vehicle engineer
Jez Coates Life and Cars
Features

My Life & Cars – Jez Coates, ex-Caterham technical director and vehicle engineer

Having helped the Caterham Seven survive and thrive for over 20 years, Jez Coates now works with a very different kind of vehicle. Here he discusses h…
4 Jul 2025
New Caterham factory: Inside where Britain's favourite track car is built
Caterham's new Dartford factory
Features

New Caterham factory: Inside where Britain's favourite track car is built

Caterham has long built addictive cars for dedicated road and track drivers. Now at its new Dartford facility, it's building them better and faster.
19 Mar 2025
The Caterham Project V is Britain's answer to the electric Porsche Cayman
Caterham Project V
News

The Caterham Project V is Britain's answer to the electric Porsche Cayman

Caterham’s new age electric coupe will pack Yamaha powertrain tech and liquid-cooled batteries, with development due to be completed later this year
13 Jan 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
News

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV

If you have to have an SUV, a Stelvio QV is acceptable. Now it's being heavily discounted.
8 Jul 2025
MST Mk1 Sports is a more affordable less extreme Ford Escort recreation
MST Ford Escort front
News

MST Mk1 Sports is a more affordable less extreme Ford Escort recreation

Costing a tenth of most made-new classics, the MST Mk1 Sports is comparatively accessible
8 Jul 2025
Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good
Mini JCW – front
Reviews

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good

The petrol-powered JCW lives on – for now. But in its latest incarnation, has this supermini survivor become too hardcore?
6 Jul 2025