The CEO of McLaren has shot down the possibility of an all-electric supercar from his company before 2030.
In an interview with Bloomberg, McLaren CEO Michael Leiters said he is waiting for battery technology to mature before making an all-electric supercar.
Despite the performance of the Rimac Nevera, Mr Leiters is confident battery technology hasn’t come far enough yet to be used in a McLaren supercar.
“I don’t expect this technology to be ready for real supercars before the end of the decade,” he told Bloomberg.
“Weight is super important, you need also the right range.”
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Mr Leiters emphasised he didn’t think batteries could be light enough in the near-term to allow McLaren to deliver an agile, responsive driver’s car that matched the company’s current range.
The electric Rimac Nevera has burst onto the international stage, smashing performance records and putting traditional internal-combustion powered supercars on notice.
The McLaren CEO reportedly didn’t dismiss the Nevera’s performance prowess, but clarified that a supercar like that doesn’t strike the right balance for McLaren.
“We don’t want to do an electric car which weighs two tons and then has 2000 horsepower,” he said.
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He reportedly suggested McLaren would wait for battery technology to mature to a point where the company could make an electric supercar that weighed around 1500kg. In contrast, the Nevera weighs a whopping 2300kg.
McLaren’s uncompromising stance on making all-electric supercars stands in contrast to rival supercar manufacturers such as Ferrari.
The Italian brand is about to embark on a frenzy of model launches, having laid out plans for 15 new cars between 2023 and 2026.
One of the upcoming 15 models will be an all-electric vehicle – the company’s first electric vehicle (EV). Ferrari has previously committed to launch an EV in 2025, and that timing remains in place.
Ferrari’s CEO Benedetto Vigna – who’s been in the chair for 12 months – hasn’t gone into too much detail about the upcoming EV, but claimed it will be “unique” and will be developed through a “Ferrari lens”.
By 2026, Ferrari aims to have a vehicle range that consists of 60 per cent hybrid and all-electric vehicles, with the other 40 per cent being internal combustion-powered models.
By 2030, the Prancing Horse will boost this figure to 40 per cent hybrid, 40 per cent all-electric, and 20 per cent internal-combustion vehicles.
Rival Lamborghini is launching its first EV, a 2+2, in 2028 but hasn’t committed to electric power for future sports cars due next decade.
