Yahoo Autos McLaren Says EV Will Be “More Exciting" Than a P1
McLaren helped pioneer the hybrid hypercar, but it's already focused on its next step–an all-electric car. As Tesla has proved, it's not difficult to make a ferociously quick electric car, but an EV that provides the same level of enjoyment and dynamic qualities as a true sports car is a much bigger challenge. Don't worry, though. McLaren will make sure its EV lives up before it hits the market.
Last year, an anonymous McLaren source said that the company wanted to make an electric car that's as exciting as a 675LT, but now, McLaren has officially upped the ante. Car Design News reports that, at a recent Financial Times conference, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said the company won't release an EV until it's better than the P1.
"We want an EV McLaren that’s more exciting to drive than a P1," said Flewitt, per Car Design News. "The challenge is maintaining the attributes that communicate emotionally to our customers. We won’t bring an electric McLaren to market until we’ve cracked that challenge."
That's a lofty goal, considering the P1 is easily one of the most exciting cars of the modern era. McLaren's EV will have to be damn good (and damn quick) to match the P1, let alone exceed it. Special attention will need to be paid to weight, considering the batteries and electric motors used in EVs are rather heavy. Keeping weight low will make McLaren's EV feel more like a real sports car.
At the same conference, Flewitt noted the role self-driving technology will play in McLaren's future, or rather, the relative lack thereof. After noting that McLaren is in the business of entertainment, rather than transport, Flewitt said "I don’t envisage full autonomy for McLaren.
"Maybe it would be useful for cities or highways, but we’d return control to the driver when they reach the kind of roads where you’d want to drive yourself."
Based on Flewitt's comments, it sounds like McLaren is doing a good job of embracing the future, while still catering to enthusiast needs. How it'll pull off making an electric car that's more exciting than the P1, though? We have no idea.
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