Slowly but surely, we’re electrifying every aspect of the car world. We’ve got electric crossovers, fancy electric sedans, electric hot hatches in Europe, and even an all-electric racing series. However, McLaren warns that we’re still a few years off from one important area for electrification: supercars.
In an interview with Bloomberg, the boss of the British supercar maker claimed that there are several factors that mean a “real” electric supercar won’t arrive on the scene until around 2030.
“Weight is super important, you need also the right range,” McLaren CEO Michael Leiters told Bloomberg Television. “I don’t expect this technology to be ready for real supercars before the end of the decade.”
The big sticking point for Leiters and McLaren is the weight of EVs, with the company boss explaining that, “Weight is at the core of our brand.” As such, he says McLaren won’t entertain the idea of an electric supercar that weighs a good few thousand pounds more than its current crop of gas-powered cars.
However, the extra weight of an EV doesn’t seem to be a problem for companies like Rimac, which has been shipping its Nevera supercar for a little over a year now. For its attempt at an EV supercar, Rimac kept the framework as light as possible before adding the batteries and motors. As such, it weighs around 5,000 lbs but also comes with 1,888 hp.
In contrast, the new McLaren 750S weighs around 3,100 lbs and produces 710 hp through its twin-turbo V-8 engine.
But just because McLaren doesn’t want to pile an extra 2,000 lbs onto its cars doesn’t mean the company isn’t looking at ways to clean up its act. According to a report from Automotive News, Leiters says the company remains focused on hybrid powertrains like the setup used in its plug-in hybrid Artura supercar.
The site also reports that while an electric McLaren supercar is still a few years from reality, the Woking-based outfit may have other body styles up its sleeves. As such, Automotive News reports that Leiters is “open” to the idea of a McLaren crossover.