Caterham's Electric Sports Car Brings Pure Driving Joy Back

While most electric cars compete on horsepower and acceleration times, British sports car maker Caterham is doing something refreshingly different with its new Project V.

The electric three-seater prioritizes driving joy over spec sheets. It's the company's answer to a problem many car enthusiasts have noticed: modern EVs have become so efficient and stable that they've lost some of the raw fun factor.

Caterham has been building the iconic roadster called the 7 since the 1970s. The lightweight, open-air car delivers thrills through simplicity rather than raw power. Now the company wants to bring that philosophy into the electric age for the next 70 years.

Project V does something clever with its battery placement. Instead of mounting all the weight low and centered like most EVs, it splits the battery pack ahead of and behind the driver. This mimics the balance of traditional sports cars and makes the vehicle more playful to drive.

The car seats three people (though the back seat looks tight for adults) and includes modern comforts like air conditioning and Apple CarPlay. At around 3,000 pounds, it's heavier than the stripped-down 7 but still light compared to most electric vehicles.

A Yamaha electric motor provides 268 horsepower, which propels the car to 62 mph in under 4.5 seconds. Those numbers won't impress spec sheet racers, but that's not the point.

The battery system from Taiwan's Xing Mobility uses an innovative immersion cooling design. The cylindrical cells sit directly in recirculating oil, which transfers heat more evenly than traditional cooling channels. The setup also reduces fire risk by removing oxygen from inside the pack.

Why This Inspires

In an era when electric cars chase 0-60 times and maximum range, Caterham is celebrating something more human. The Project V reminds us that transportation can bring genuine joy, not just efficient movement from point A to point B.

The company intentionally skipped torque vectoring, launch control, and other electronic tricks that can make modern cars feel numb. Instead, they're keeping things simple enough that drivers can feel connected to the road.

It's the automotive equivalent of choosing a vinyl record over a streaming service. Sometimes the imperfect, analog experience creates more happiness than clinical perfection ever could.

Caterham is proving that the electric future doesn't have to sacrifice the soul of driving.