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Caterham plans for electric future announced


Vovchandr

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https://www.motor1.com/news/619318/caterham-electric-sports-car-consideration/

 

https://coverking.com/blogs/blog/caterham-is-launching-two-new-evs

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alistaircharlton/2022/10/31/caterham-cars-reveals-plans-for-its-all-electric-future/?sh=5d5025a7376c

 

A hybrid powertrain has already been ruled out because it would add weight, with Laishley saying that having two separate powertrains would be a "horrendous compromise." As far as the EV is concerned, Autocar speculates it won’t hit the road until 2028 or so. In the meantime, the Caterham 7 is sticking with combustion engines even if a sales ban on new ICE-powered cars in the UK will come into effect in 2030

 

In an ideal scenario, Laishley says the two-seater EV weighs less than 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds) and delivers what he refers to as a 20-15-20 performance. What he means by that is you get 20 minutes of spirited driving around a race track on a full charge before juicing up the battery for 15 to have another go for 20 minutes. If Caterham can't deliver this with an electric counterpart of the Seven, the company's boss says it’s not even worth launching the vehicle.

 

The US is a key future market, where the Seven is now permitted to be registered under the country’s ‘Show & Display’ car registration law. This allows cars that are “traditional or technically significant,” like a Caterham Seven, to be imported and driven up to 2,500 miles annually.

 

Laishley says work on an all-electric Seven is well underway, although none of the company’s circa 500 annual customers has asked for one just yet. More notably, he added that the company is currently working on an all-new, all-electric coupé to be sold alongside the battery-powered Seven.

 

Laishley gave a more elaborate description, almost drawing the car’s sketch using words only: “It will be prettier and more modern than a Seven – those will be big points of distinction – and maybe it will have a roof. We're designing it as a pure EV from the start, with rear-drive only, and it will be registered under SVA rules,” Laishley said. [i]

“This will definitely not be a Seven,” he added. “But it'll have all the characteristics today's Caterham customers know well: lightness, simplicity, agility, and performance. Like the Seven, it will have a steel space frame (but a different one) because they're easy to modify in production if you need to. It will have a six-panel enveloping body in aluminum or carbon: two sills, two doors, plus clamshell openings front and rear.”

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This is not new at all I have sent motors and controllers to a few people in the UK to do a 7 , in conjunctions with my motor builder , it was done about 10 years ago and yes the acceleration was out of this world .As it was told to me by the owners . So far I have converted a lot of cars including A 09 Porsche 911 , a MGB and a number of Miatas MX5 ,. All toll over 450 cars , trucks , vans , air port equipment.and aircraft tubs . We are now doing large trucks 

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Either was done , a direct dive unit to a deff was really hard on the chassis bent it way to much torque , but yes just about all the ones I have done were motor to trans .on unit I sent out had 2 11 inch DC motors couple together , that as 400 HP but the torque was 1460 lbs 

Instant power it's actually deciduous, but I do what the customer pays me to do  , but all had a short range.

The technology on good batteries wasn't there yet  

Edited by Alex-Ks1
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OK , I looked at all of them, they all have the same thing, NOT MUCH. you have to do all thew work, these are just components, motor, controller, a set of batteries, I didn't see if they include a charger, their web site gets a little fuzzy on some things, Thats how they work it. you have to do all the work. A LOT OF WORK The prices are out of this world.  One thing I did see that was encouraging ,  NO real photos of converted or factory running EVs. Just nice computer graphics. This has been going on since the 90s there's a lot of money if you get a system working and can prove what you do, Lots of money.

I made Lots of money,  LOLOLOL.. Now were doing commercial delivery trucks. and we can prove performance, not with dumb data, come take a drive.

 

        again, these sites didn't say anything about how to couple the motor to the trans , manual or automatic, EXPENCIVE , we do this all-in house 

or they didn't mention any type of battery management system.  VERY IMPORTANT . . They didn't mention any type of motor cooling or controller cooling

. But I guess that's how they want it, I have seen this all too much, " you bought it, it's yours", in this business. just be ware. because if it sounds too good to be true. It is 

 

 

 

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True, quite a few of those aftermarket conversion companies were using Tesla powertrains.  Motor, inverter, battery pack modules from a wrecked Tesla, which isn't a very sustainable business case.  All were selling in quantities of 1, 2, 5, barely ten, so not much, but a start.  Yes, the kits include an OBC.  Looked like it was a Cascadia Motion unit with combined DC/DC.  BMS and VCU from AEM.  Yes, that AEM.  Holley bought AEM.  The kits also included low voltage (12V) electric cooling pumps.    Here's more info on the electricGT kit for 911.  Who's to say if $67k for a bolt in EV conversion kit for an old 911 is lots of money out of this world.  Analog Motor Company reportedly has customers.  Yes, all the companies I spoke with at SEMA said their conversion ran.  But hey, it's SEMA, who really know for sure!

 

Reminds me of the Exobusa I saw at SEMA.  Closest thing to a seven.  Reportedly made 800hp, but didn't have an ECU on it and the engine hadn't actually run yet.  So yeah, gotta love SEMA!

 

@Alex-Ks1 if you've got working commercial vehicles, and are ready for production drop me a PM.  I'd love to hear what kind of solutions you're looking for, or what are some of your pain points or wishes.

Edited by GTIspirit
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the last 911 i did was under 22K$. and the car came with it, did 0-60- in 4 seconds. and everything was new, no junk parts. no Chinese crap .

 

we are in production on class 4,5,6 trucks now, its not a "were about to do planning " stage, I have been doing this since 1974 , during the first oil embargo 

More than anyone in the western hemisphere Thats not bragging, it's a fact . Im an arrogant sonzabitch aint I  ? LOLOL But at least I admit it /

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10 years?  they can do it now, the car companies are banking on the stupidity of the buying public.  AC motors Arnt that expensive to make, the controllers do have more software than they need, but its about bells and lights and extra crap that has no use in any car. but they built them that way to put the price so high no one can afford them. For about 17 years I was doing them out the door, vehicle supplied for 12,500$  complete. I did about 400 or so  like that, then I moved up to the trucks we have done about 75 so far. mostly short-range delivery types. even trolly busses  Now into the heavy class 5,6,7 types/

    and Electric cars have been around long before the gas powered car, First one was built in Scottland in 1848 I think if my memory servs me right.

  and your right, a lot of BS goes on at a SEMA show . I went once about 5 years ago, I had more fun at the gaming tables 

 

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On 11/14/2022 at 9:27 PM, Alex-Ks1 said:

I never made any kits, never said I did, I sent motors and controllers to the UK, and that was all, they did all their own work 

.

Edited by slowdude
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