A 12 months on from its reveal, the Caterham Undertaking V now has a powertrain provider within the type of Yamaha. The Japanese agency will present its “newest cutting-edge e-axle” to the light-weight electrical sports activities automotive, which is anticipated to be accomplished by mid-2025.
Yamaha joins a really Japanese-centric growth programme for the Undertaking V, which is not any shock provided that Caterham is now owned by VT Holdings, a serious Japanese automotive seller. The automotive is being developed by Tokyo R&D, a specialist engineering home that has produced main OEM-commissioned prototypes and manufacturing autos.
The Undertaking V is not going to solely obtain Yamaha’s light-weight compact electrical powertrain but additionally its “know-how and experience in automobile movement management,” mentioned Caterham. No technical particulars have been launched simply but, however for the document, final 12 months’s idea was tipped to utilise a 272 PS (200 kW) rear motor and have a kerb weight of 1,190 kg (over double that of the corporate’s famed Seven sports activities automotive in Tremendous Seven 1600 guise).
By the way, that energy determine is equivalent to every of the 4 electrical motors Yamaha is supplying for the Subaru STI E-RA, a near-future motorsport research that’s geared toward setting a lap time of 6 minutes 40 seconds on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. These 4 motors present all-wheel drive and a complete system output of 1,088 PS (800 kW), drawing energy from a 60 kWh battery.
As for the Undertaking V, that automotive is anticipated to be juiced by a 55 kWh battery that gives a spread of 400 km on the WLTP cycle. It would additionally utilise a carbon fibre and aluminium building to avoid wasting weight and have a novel 2+1-seat structure for elevated rear seat room as a substitute for a standard 2+2.
Yamaha itself is not any stranger to sports activities automotive growth, having partnered with Toyota on each the 2000GT and the Lexus LFA. It has even proven off just a few sports activities ideas of its personal, its newest being the Sports activities Experience Idea displayed on the 2015 Tokyo Motor Present (now the Japan Mobility Present). That automotive, a small two-seater constructed on F1 design legend Gordon Murray’s iStream manufacturing course of, was anticipated to be powered by the corporate’s 998 cc four-cylinder engine from its YZR-R1 superbike.
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