As the push for electric vehicles continues, many have suggested making an EV supercar. But one major and well-respected auto manufacturer is giving the whole idea a hard pass, or at least for now.
Introducing McLaren Automotive Ltd.’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Leiters.
As head of a company that has long been a leader in automotive technology, innovation, and class, Leiters isn’t about to just jump on the EV bandwagon to satisfy some politician who’s telling him to do so. Sure, the company is flirting with some EV models, including the possibility of making sport utility hybrids.
But when it comes to supercars, something McLaren is quite well known for, Leiters says there’s no way the company will do it.
In an October 5 interview with Bloomberg, Leiters explained his reasoning, most of which is that the tech to create an efficient supercar is just not there yet when it comes to electric.
If you know anything about supercars, you understand they are much more than your typical sports car. As their name implies, everything needs to be super. Super fast, super high performance, super sleek.
And all that super means it also needs to be super lightweight.
But right now, EV technology requires that a massive lithium-ion battery that weighs an incredible amount is added to the car, making it much heavier.
Naturally, this makes the car slower, less maneuverable, and less responsive. Basically, it flies in the face of everything a supercar is all about.
“We don’t want to do an electric car which weighs two tons and then has 2,000 horsepower.” He added that a high-performance EV could not weigh more than 3,300 pounds. “Weight is at the core of our brand.”
And Leiters doesn’t expect the right kind of technology needed to create an electric supercar to even exist for a while yet.
“Weight is super important, you need also the right range. I don’t expect this technology to be ready for real supercars before the end of the decade.”
So, for now, McLaren will stick to what they do best: creating supercars that are actually super.