McLaren electric car: specs and on-sale date

McLaren has been openly talking about developing an electric supercar for a couple years – but it looks as if we’re still several years away from seeing the company selling an electric model.

As long ago as mid-2016, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt told our sister title Auto Express that the company was working an electric vehicle that would sit in its Ultimate Series, alongside the McLaren Senna and McLaren Speedtail. In fact, a test car was already being driven around at that stage.

However, it was clear then that the project faced some big challenges. First, the new electric vehicle would have to be a ‘proper’ McLaren, engaging and exciting to drive. Secondly, it mustn’t be too heavy, which is an issue, given how quick the car would need to be and how heavy the batteries would have to be to give that level of performance.

Technology has moved on since then, but the latest word from inside McLaren suggests that the company is still no nearer finding a solution for these challenges. 

An electric McLaren is certainly on the way, but in the immediate future, we can look forward to hybrid models – as part of its Track22 plan, the company has already committed to making at least half of its range include hybrid or electric technology by 2022.