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    News articles from the Caterham and Lotus Seven Club community
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    Mcalvert
    Caterham will reveal its new concept, Project V, on 12th July 2023 Project V is the creation of Chief Designer, Anthony Jannarelly Concept to be built by world-renowned Italdesign The fully-electric sports coupé will make its public debut, on the Caterham stand, at Goodwood Festival of Speed For the latest Project V announcements, visit https://caterhamcars.com/en/models/projectv  
    Dartford, Wednesday 21st June 2023 – Caterham will unveil its new coupé concept car, Project V, on Wednesday 12th July 2023.
    The fully-electric model will showcase a completely new design language for the British sports car brand as it looks to the near-future.
    Project V is the creation of Chief Designer, Anthony Jannarelly.
    While this new concept may be a visual departure from the existing Seven range, Caterham remains committed to its core values of lightness, simplicity and a driver focused experience.
    The company has partnered with renowned engineering and design firm, Italdesign, to bring that vision to life, manufacturing the show car at its Turin headquarters in Italy.
    The Project V show car will make its public debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed where it will be unveiled on the Caterham stand.
    To keep up to date on the latest Project V announcements, further details will be shared at https://caterhamcars.com/en/models/projectv and via the Caterham social media channels.
     
    Mcalvert

    Lowflying June 2023

    By Mcalvert, in Lowflying,

    This Month: EV Seven • Freestyle at Brooklands • Lowflying Goes High Flying • Debutante at Castle Combe • Speed Championship Reports • Windscreen Wipers That Work... • News and Events
    Lowflying is currently with the printers and should be sent out towards members around 10th June.
    Events
    We have again secured discounted tickets for Caterham and Lotus Seven Club members at this nostalgic racing event at the Thruxton Circuit near Andover.
    Thruxton Circuit will step back in time and reverberate to the sounds and sights of the finest Historic and Classic motor racing in the country for the annual Thruxton Historic.
    This is a two-day weekend event and tickets for either day can be purchased from the Thruxton Circuit website at a 50% discount using a specific code. Please see the Blatchat thread for ticketing details and the all-important discount code. In order to view the Blatchat thread you will need to sign-in to the website.
    Event details and more information can be found on the Thruxton website by clicking on this link.
    EV
    PRESS RELEASE
    Electric Caterham Seven is a technology development concept showcasing a future battery electric Caterham Lightweight concept uses existing Seven architecture and combines it with cutting-edge battery electric technology EV Seven to be capable of a 20-15-20 track drive cycle: the ability to drive on track for 20 minutes and recharge in 15 minutes with enough energy to drive for a further 20 minutes Weight increase of less than 70kg compared to the current production Seven* it is based upon, and uses a 51kWh immersion cooled battery pack capable of up to 152kW rapid charging EV Seven is being developed in partnership with Swindon Powertrain, the engine developers for the Seven JPE from the early 1990s  
    Dartford, Wednesday 24th May 2023 – Caterham has today revealed EV Seven – its technology development concept for a future fully electric Seven.
    The concept will test the feasibility of a lightweight electric Seven and enable Caterham to move a step closer to bringing a battery electric model to market that is as driver focused as its petrol counterpart.
    EV Seven is being engineered in collaboration with Swindon Powertrain Ltd – a leader in the development of advanced and ultra-robust powertrains for both road and motorsport applications. EV Seven is based on the larger Seven chassis and features a bespoke version of Swindon Powertrain’s E Axle, combined with an immersion cooled battery pack.
    Immersion battery cooling uses a dielectric fluid, in this case supplied by long-term Caterham technical partner Motul. The fluid is in direct contact with the cells enabling better thermal management during charge and discharge cycles. This cutting-edge technology is at the forefront for battery electric vehicles and, until now, has typically been employed to cool super computers that generate enormous amounts of heat.
    Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham, said: “Any future EV model we produce must be true to the DNA of a Caterham: lightweight, fun-to-drive and driver focused. The main objective for this project is to develop a vehicle with a weight delta of no more than the equivalent of having a passenger on board. We’re never going to launch a one tonne Seven – we’d rather not do it.”
    Any electric Seven must be useable on both the road and track. For the latter, this means being capable of a repeatable 20-15-20 drive cycle: the ability to drive on track for 20 minutes and recharge in 15 minutes with enough energy to drive for a further 20 minutes.
    “Building a Seven that’s capable of a Sunday morning drive is achievable with current battery technology, but the challenge is for track use where the energy consumption is greatly increased. At the moment, immersion battery cooling is one of the best solutions in terms of coping with the rapid charge and discharge cycles that would be experienced on a race track,” added Laishley.
    The weight increase is less than 70kg compared to the current production Seven* it is based upon (meaning a total mass of just under 700kg). Its 51kWh immersion cooled battery is housed in the engine bay and transmission tunnel and is capable of DC rapid charging speeds of up to 152kW. It has a useable capacity of circa 40kWh, safely allowing the battery pack to withstand demanding track use followed by rapid charging without causing premature degradation.
    The concept uses a bespoke version of Swindon Powertrain’s E Axle based on the HPDE family. It produces 240bhp at 9,000rpm and instantaneous peak torque of 250Nm. This will deliver a predicted 0-60mph time of approximately 4.0 seconds. The powertrain has been engineered to closely match the performance characteristics of the current production Seven* to ensure EV Seven shares similar driveability to the ICE model.
    EV Seven will remain true to the guiding principles of Caterham’s DNA, which is fun, simple and lightweight with an absolute focus on delivering a fantastic driving experience. Chasing performance figures has not been a motivating factor during development, but remaining true to Caterham’s intrinsic values has.
    EV Seven will also benefit from a limited slip differential, adjustable Bilstein dampers from the Seven 420 Cup, regenerative braking and quad-piston brake calipers.
    “We do not have plans to put EV Seven into production at this stage - it’s a test bed to see how well an EV powertrain works for our customers’ specific use cases. We’re doing this project with our eyes wide open so that we can learn how to deliver the specific Caterham vehicle attributes necessary for a Seven: lightweight, simple and fun to drive. We’re going to bring this to market at the right time, when the future generation of battery technology allows it, and that’s why now is the time for us to trial the concept,” added Laishley.
    Raphaël Caillé, Managing Director of Swindon Powertrain Ltd, said: “Our history of working with Caterham spans more than three decades – we developed the Vauxhall engine used in the JPE [Jonathan Palmer Evolution] edition Seven in the early 1990s, and we’re thrilled to be able to continue this partnership today through our work on this exciting project.
    “The targets we’ve been set for low vehicle weight and battery charging speed are undoubtably ambitious, but the use of cutting-edge immersion cooled battery technology along with our own powertrain components means we’re able to develop an electric Seven that maintains the core values of the original.”
    The EV Seven concept will make its public debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK this July. Caterham is also developing another fully electric sports car concept that it will reveal this year. The design of this project is being led by the brand’s new Chief Designer, Anthony Jannarelly, and further details will be announced in the coming months.
     
    EV Seven Specification
    Vehicle
    Caterham EV Seven
    Motor
    Bespoke Swindon HPDE E Axle
    Transmission
    Single-speed, two-stage reduction with bespoke ratio
    Final Drive
    Limited slip differential
    Battery
    51kWh (40kWh usable) – Immersion cooled battery
    Charging
    Up to 152Kw DC fast charge
    Chassis
    Large chassis
    Dimensions
    (L: 3,350mm, W: 1,685mm, H: 1,115mm)
    Max Power (bhp / rpm)
    240bhp @ 9,000rpm
    Max Torque (nm / rpm)
    250Nm @ 0rpm
    Weight
    <700 kg
    Performance (0 – 60 mph)
    4.0 seconds (estimated)
    Power-To-Weight
    ~ 340 bhp-per-tonne
    Top Speed
    130 mph (estimated)
    Suspension
    Bilstein adjustable (from 420 Cup)
    Wheels
    13” Apollo Black Alloy (6” front and 8” rear)
    Tyres
    Avon ZZR
    Brakes
    Ventilated discs with quad-piston calipers
    Steering
    Rack and pinion, 1.93 turns lock-to-lock
     
    *Seven 485 (SV) is available in European & Japanese markets only and is the current production model used for benchmarking.
    Mcalvert

    Lowflying May 2023

    By Mcalvert, in Lowflying,

    This Month: Building Back Better • Always Take Photos • Eco-Blatting • The Real Grand Tour • Putting The EV In sEVen • This Cat Didn’t Get The Cream • A Visit To: Northampton Motorsport
    Lowflying is currently with the printers and should be sent out towards members around 9th May.
    Mcalvert
    In its 50th year, Caterham is moving to a brand new facility in Dartford, Kent Facility for the British lightweight sports car manufacturer is due to open later this year Major investment by Caterham owner VT Holdings will increase production capacity by 50% to approximately 750 units per annum New headquarters will house the production, engineering, motorsport and commercial teams Dartford, Thursday 13th April – Caterham has announced it will open a brand new manufacturing facility and headquarters later this year as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
    Still located in Dartford, Kent, the new state-of-the-art building will be home to Caterham’s production, engineering, motorsport and commercial teams.
    The multi million pound investment from owners VT Holdings – one of Japan’s largest retailer groups – will see Caterham increase its production capacity by 50%, meaning around 750 units could be built annually.
    The 54,000 sq ft facility is situated in a brand new nine-acre industrial park development called Dartford X. It is within close proximity to the existing factory, enabling the retention of the skilled workforce who are responsible for hand assembling all cars. The new building will undergo a full fit out in the coming months with completion anticipated towards the end of 2023.
    In the future, Caterham plans to offer a range of customer experiences at the site including factory tours, events and vehicle handovers.
    Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham, said: “It’s fitting that, in our 50th anniversary year, we can invest in new premises to facilitate our ambitions, for the future of the Seven and the brand as a whole.
    “The site not only increases our production capacity but enables us to advance our manufacturing capabilities into a modern setting. It will be a fantastic new home for the brand, our employees and our customers past, present and future to visit.”
    Alastair Dawson, Senior Asset Manager at Railpen, said: “Caterham is a British manufacturing, engineering and marketing success story with a longstanding connection to Dartford. We have worked closely with the brand in its search for a new home, with Dartford X meeting all of Caterham’s criteria to support the business’ continued growth over the coming years, while retaining local jobs and the vitality of its supply chain partners.”
    The South East of England has been home to Caterham since it started building cars in 1973 in the town of Caterham, Surrey. In 1987, production moved to Kennet Road in Dartford where its cars have been assembled ever since. This year marks the brand’s 50th anniversary.
    Mcalvert

    Lowflying April 2023

    By Mcalvert, in Lowflying,

    This month: Construction Time Again • Brescia or Bust • Bikers and Caterhams • Thirty One Years in the Making… • Size Matters • News and Events • and much more...
    Lowflying is currently with the printers and should be sent out towards members around 17th April
    Mcalvert

    Lowflying February 2023

    By Mcalvert, in Lowflying,

    This Month: The Sunday Blatters Go North • Sideways Flying • Putting The EV In sEVen • A Lotus For Lars • Every Sticker Tells A Story… • My Experience Of Prostate Cancer
    Lowflying is currently with the printers and should be sent out towards members around 8th Feb.
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