Caterham’s Project V is basically an updated Tesla Roadster for 2026
Caterham, the British builder of lightweight sportscars, has revealed a new electric concept car, the “Project V,” slated for 2026. And its specs look mighty familiar – not too far off from the original Tesla Roadster from 2008.
The announcement coincides with the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a yearly hillclimb race that has become one of the world’s largest assemblies of classic and high-end cars.
There are several fast electric cars out there, which are breaking all kinds of records, including at Goodwood itself. But most of these are either heavy or expensive, not really fitting the lightweight “driver’s car” paradigm which is so popular among enthusiasts.
Despite the modern electric car revolution beginning with the original 2008 Tesla Roadster, a lightweight electric sportscar built on a platform developed with Lotus Engineering, there has been a lack of lightweight electric sportscars since then. We’ve long wanted something like an electric Miata, but this hasn’t been forthcoming.
Well, now Caterham has stepped into the ring with something similar – though not quite in the same price range as that Miata we wanted.
Its new “Project V” concept is a lightweight electric coupe, in keeping with the lightweight Caterham DNA. The company is known for its super-lightweight “Seven” roadster, based off of the design of the original Lotus Seven, and is an extremely popular vehicle with enthusiasts for its handling and modifiability.
The Project V brings this focus on lightweight design into the modern electric car era, with a weight of just 1,190kg (2,623 lbs). That’s about 100 lbs less than the original Tesla Roadster, which, like Caterham, traces its origins back to Lotus DNA. And that’s not where the similarities end.
Where the Roadster had 248-288 horsepower (depending on configuration), the Caterham has 268hp – both rear-wheel drive. Where the Roadster had a 53kWh battery pack, the Caterham will have a 55kWh one. A 393km/244mi range becomes a ~400km/249mi range, and a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds becomes a 0-62 time of ~4.5 seconds, but with a 29km/h (18mph) higher top speed.
And the Caterham has a composite body and carbon fiber and aluminum chassis, similar to the Roadster’s carbon fiber body and mostly aluminum chassis. Though the Caterham is significantly bigger, at 309mm longer, 20mm wider and 99mm taller than the Roadster was, and the wheels are 3 inches larger (19″ front, 20″ rear).
So, basically, it’s a Tesla Roadster. But new!
The Caterham has some notable and large improvements over the Roadster, though. For one, it has a third seat in the rear, placed in the center of the car, giving it a full 50% improvement over the number of seats in the Roadster. And it will even have an option for a 2+2 configuration, doubling the Roadster’s measly two.
And second, it has DC charging, something which the aging Roadster could never get (except through third-party aftermarket modifications). Caterham says the Project V’s battery will charge from 20-80% in 15 minutes on a 150kW charger, which would represent an impressive 132kW average charge rate on its 55kWh battery.
And clearly it looks different, with an aggressive and less angular exterior than the Tesla had, and a much less bare-bones interior, as far as we can tell from initial photos. It even has CarPlay! And power steering!
However, it’s also missing one thing the Roadster has – a convertible top. Clearly this coupe was designed in the rainy UK, and not sunny California. But hey, maybe they’ll come up with a roadster version in the future.
While Caterham is officially calling this a concept, the company states that it “could be brought to market” in late 2025/early 2026 at a rate of 2000 units per year. Caterham has a target price of “less than £80,000,” equivalent to $103k in US greenbacks (by comparison, the Tesla Roadster’s base price was $109k, without adjusting for inflation).
Electrek’s Take
We’re being a little too glib here with all these comparisons, but hey, Brits are famous for their biting comedy, so we hope they can take it.
Besides, none of this is actually meant as a swipe at the Caterham. I own an early model, low-VIN Tesla Roadster, which is all these comparisons immediately came to mind for me. It was and is my dream car, and it’s the vehicle that ignited my interest in electric cars which led me where I am today.
After driving it for so long, I have difficulty enjoying other cars, particularly any gas car, because my Roadster is such a fun, raw experience. It gives me a connection to the road and to my car’s performance in a way that nothing else out there does.
So it’s awesome to see another car out there that’s got a lot of that same spirit, but a few modernizations to smooth over the quirks in the bucket of bolts that I have always loved. We hope this car gets made, and I can’t wait to get in the driver’s seat and see how it compares.
While Tesla’s continuously-delayed next-gen Roadster update seems like it will be more of a hypercar chasing top speeds and track records, I think there’s room for a modern enthusiast’s EV, a true driver’s car, and the Caterham Project V might just fill that niche for people who know that what you really want is a quick car, not a fast one.
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The US wind industry installed just 5.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2024 – the lowest level in a decade, according to Wood Mackenzie’s new US Wind Energy Monitor report. Installations are expected to rebound in 2025, but the real concern lies in US wind’s sharply downgraded 5-year outlook. As for the reason behind that bleak forecast, we’ll give you one guess as to why, and it starts with a T.
Wood Mac reports that 3.9 GW of onshore wind came online last year, along with 1.3 GW of onshore repowers and 101 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind.
Onshore wind
The US is expected to achieve more than 160 GW of installed onshore capacity by 2025, and onshore growth is projected to bounce back from 2024 and surpass 6.3 GW this year.
“The cliff in 2023 and 2024 created by the Production Tax Credit (PTC) push in 2022 will come to an end,” said Stephen Maldonado, research analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “Despite the uncertainty created by the new administration, the massive number of orders placed in 2023 culminating in projects now under construction support the short-term forecast.”
The pipeline for onshore has 10.8 GW currently under construction through 2027, with another 3.9 GW announced.
GE Vernova led onshore wind installations in 2024 with 56% of the market and will continue to lead in connections for the next five years. It was followed by Vestas (40%) and Siemens Gamesa (4%).
Offshore wind
Offshore wind is projected to increase in 2025 as well, with 900 MW of installed capacity, up from a disappointing 101 MW in 2024. However, several projects have been shelved in the wake of Trump’s anti-wind executive orders, which downgraded the five-year outlook by 1.8 GW.
Electrek’s Take on US wind’s 5-year outlook
According to Wood Mac, 33 GW of new onshore wind capacity will be installed through 2029, along with 6.6 GW of new offshore capacity and 5.5 GW of repowers. However, due to Trump’s anti-wind policy and economic uncertainty, this five-year outlook is 40% less than a previous total of 75.8 GW. Growth will happen, but it’s going to be slower.
The main reason is Trump’s flourish of his Sharpie on executive orders that include “temporary” withdrawal of offshore wind leasing areas and putting a stop to onshore wind on federal lands. Plus, firing all those federal employees will likely make permitting wind farms a slower process. (Trump just wrote more executive orders today allowing coal projects on federal lands; he won’t have federal employees to issue permits for those, either.) He’s worked to throw up obstacles for wind projects in favor of fossil fuels. He won’t stop the wind industry, but he’s managed to get some projects canceled, and he’ll make things more of a slog over the next few years.
Read more: Coal is dead and Trump’s executive order won’t revive it
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BYD’s cheapest EV in China just got even more affordable. After cutting prices this month, the BYD Seagull EV starts at just 56,800 yuan, or under $8,000.
BYD cuts Seagull EV price to under $8,000 in April
Despite an intensifying EV price war in China, BYD is cutting prices once again. The Chinese EV giant announced a new promotion this month across several Ocean Series models, including the Seagull.
The 2025 BYD Seagull EV is available starting at just 56,800 yuan ($7,800). The offer is for the non-Smart Driving Vitality Edition model, which usually starts at 69,800 yuan ($9,500).
After launching the new Seagull last year, BYD said the low-cost electric car officially opened “a new era of electricity being lower than oil.” Earlier this year, it upgraded most of its vehicles, including the Seagull, with its new “God’s Eye” smart driving system at no extra charge.
BYD’s Seagull is offered in three trims in China: Vitality, Freedom, and Flying. It has two battery options, 30.1 kWh or 38.9 kWh, which is good for the 305 km (190 mi) and 405 km (252 mi) CLTC range, respectively.
At just 3,780 mm long, 1,715 mm wide, and 1,540 mm tall, the Seagull is even smaller than the former Chevy Bolt EV (4,145 mm long, 1,765 mm wide, and 1,611 mm tall). It’s about the size of a Fiat 500e.
The price cut comes as BYD’s sales continue surging. With another 377,420 new energy vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) sold last month, the Chinese automaker has now sold over one million NEVs in 2025.
BYD’s EVs accounted for 416,388 while PHEV sales reached 569,710, an increase of 39% and 76% from last year, respectively.
| BYD Seagull EV trim | Starting Price | Range (CLTC) |
| Vitality | Normal: $9,500 (69,800 yuan) Now: $8,000 (56,800 yuan) |
190 mi (305 km) |
| Freedom | $10,300 (75,800 yuan) | 190 mi (305 km) |
| Flying | $11,700 (85,800 yuan) | 252 mi (405 km) |
Perhaps even more importantly, BYD sold over 206,000 vehicles overseas in 2025, more than doubling from last year. The Seagull EV is also sold in other global markets like Mexico and Brazil as the Dolphin Mini.
Later this year, it will launch in Europe as the Dolphin Surf, with expected prices starting under £20,000 ($26,000). Although it may not be the cheapest EV, BYD’s executive vice president, Stella Li, recently told Autocar it will be “the best value” when it arrives.
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Tesla has new Model Y inventory available today in the US, just days after opening orders for what is supposed to be its most popular model.
This proves that demand is terrible and Tesla is trying to hide it.
On Friday, Tesla launched the new non-Launch Edition Model Y in North America.
Prior to the launch, only a fully loaded $60,000 Launch Edition Model Y was available to order since January, and had been delivered since early March.
Now, North American buyers are able to buy a much cheaper version of the new Model Y for $49,000.
Only the Model Y Long Range AWD is available for now, but that’s Tesla’s most popular model in North America.
At the time, we noted that this is a great demand test for Tesla in the US amid some critical brand issues due to CEO Elon Musk.
We only have a few metrics to track the demand of the new Model Y in the US:
- Delivery timelines on new orders
- Available inventory
- Discounts/incentives
For most US zip codes tested by Electrek with different Model Y configurations (wheels and paint colors), Tesla quotes delivery within “1-3 weeks”.
But we also found several zip codes on both the West Coast and the East Coast where Tesla claims it can deliver the new vehicle “today”:
This would point to Tesla already having vehicles in inventory despite launching it just 4 days ago.
But Tesla is hiding the inventory.
If you search for Model Y in Tesla’s new inventory, you can’t find any in the US at the time of writing:
However, Tesla is showing some units in inventory to people configuring new Model Ys.
Some potential buyers are reporting that Tesla has a tab that pops up and directs them to some new inventory available (via TroyTeslike on Patreon):
This confirms that Tesla already has new non-Launch Edition Model Y in inventory available for sale in the US – pointing to Tesla having no backlog of demand for the new vehicle.
Electrek’s Take
This is much worse than I thought. I thought that Tesla would build a backlog of demand for the new Model Y in the US from people who didn’t want the fully loaded version, but it looks like that backlog lasted 4 days.
Of course, it’s all because of Tesla and Elon, and brand destruction.
Many people who invested in the stock market lost a lot of money over the last few weeks, and these people often happen to be people who buy new cars.
Now, the only thing left is for Tesla to start offering discounts and subsidies financing – the latter likely coming first, as it is already the case with new Model 3 orders in the US.
The good news for Tesla is that if Trump continues to crash the stock market, the Fed will likely have to reduce rates, making Tesla’s 0% financing cheaper to subsidize.
That’s a fun balancing act.
Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tesla offer incentives on the new Model Y in the US within the next 2 weeks – way ahead of schedule.
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