First McLaren EV will surpass current supercar benchmarks, say officials

McLaren says its new electric supercar due before the end of the decade – touted by some as a successor for the 2014 McLaren P1 (pictured) – will better its current combustion models in every measurable way, including weight, sound and range.

Like most of the supercar cohort, McLaren has embarked on a journey to electrification amid tightening emissions regulations worldwide.

Although the timeline for those regulations was recently eased in Europe, McLaren is marching forward with the development of its all-electric supercar – and an Australian is at the centre of its development.

Charles Sanderson is an Aussie expat from Melbourne who most recently spent time at Bosch and US truck-maker Rivian, where he worked on the ground-breaking R1T.

Earlier this year, Sanderson returned to McLaren (where he previously worked as lead dynamics engineer for the 720S) to become the firm’s chief technical officer.

Sanderson helped put the finishing touches on the new 750S launched globally last week and is a key player in McLaren’s electrification and SUV projects.

He is steadfast in his belief that EV technology will soon better current ICE technology for power-to-weight, performance and range.

“The vehicle has to feel alive in your hands, it has to deliver that visceral experience and when you get out you have to have a huge smile on your face. Everyone here knows it: you don’t get that from doing nought to 100km/h or zero to 200km/h,” Sanderson said.

“That’s not what we’re talking. For any of the future technologies – and there are many if you want to talk about all the future ways to electrify – ultimately it’s about the drive and a huge part of that is about the weight.

“We will not make an electric vehicle in the future if we cannot make it as light or lighter, and as engaging. It just won’t happen.

“Whenever we look at a project like this, there is a set of core attributes which we must adhere to and not compromise on. Weight is one of those.

“And it can’t be that we do everything else with the exclusion of range. A customer still has to do what they do in a current internal combustion supercar. That’s the point – it has to replace it or better it.”

Sanderson pointed to new battery technology as the biggest breakthrough for the electrification of McLaren’s supercar range.

It remains to be seen what McLaren will call its first EV and how it will be marketed, with some reports suggesting it will wear the P1 name and others insisting the P1 successor will again opt for a hybrid powertrain.

In either case, Sanderson insisted an all-electric McLaren supercar is coming and will set performance benchmarks for the brand.

“There are technologies available that can get you there and our job is to explore all avenues, partly because regulation drives us in that direction,” he said.

“Solid-state [battery tech] is definitely a technology which will help speed up adoption of mainstream passenger electric cars. At the very top end of the cell market there are some extraordinary cells. For example, F1 uses some extraordinary cells but most of them are super expensive.

“Most of those technologies, if you industrialise them, can bring that cell cost down considerably to something that’s bearable in market.

“You can see the weight coming out of the cells, courtesy of the increased power density and energy density. It means you’ll have lighter packs and you’ll eventually get to parity with internal combustion for performance in every measurable way – and that will happen in the non-too-distant future.

“That will happen without doubt in the passenger world.”

For McLaren, specifically, Sanderson stressed the British manufacturer would not bring a supercar to market that wasn’t in keeping with its lightweight ethos.

“In our world, it’s a little bit different because you don’t just have the A-to-B metrics. We have to really excite the customer, we have to give them full engagement and it has to be epic,” he said.

Another EV key hurdle for Sanderson and McLaren is creating authentic supercar sounds.

“When you look at the work we’ve put into the sound of the new 750S, there has been a lot done. That is a critical measure for us and it is obviously something that is today missing in an EV,” he said.

“Sound is as important as anything.

“I won’t talk about what we’re developing, but my personal view is if you’re faking the sound then you’re completely missing the personal engagement with the customer.”

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