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Is there an electric McLaren?

Electric McLaren Models and Future Plans

It seems like every automaker is going electric these days. It makes sense- not only is switching to electric vehicles an important step in creating a climate-friendly human civilization, many countries will make new gas-fueled vehicles illegal by 2030.

McLaren is typically at the cutting edge of automotive innovation. Drivers from the Chicago area occasionally ask our team here at McLaren Chicago: does McLaren produce an electric model?

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McLaren does not yet offer an electric model. The closest thing the automaker has thus far produced to an EV is the hybrid-powered 2022 McLaren Artura.

McLaren has developed a slew of innovative methods for making the Artura a hybrid that meets the brand’s lofty performance standards, including the development of a new in-house process to produce a carbon composite chassis. It’s said that by 2026, all McLaren vehicles will be hybrids and will use this chassis.

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When can we expect an electric McLaren?

Folk from McLaren have stated that the automaker aims to have fully electric models on the road by the end of the current decade.

Why is it difficult for McLaren to produce an electric vehicle?

As a supercar manufacturer, one of the chief concerns the design team at McLaren focuses on is weight. The weight of today’s EV batteries would, unfortunately, take a toll on McLaren performance. As absolute top-tier performance is what McLaren is all about providing, this has so far proven to be an unacceptable compromise.

For McLaren to produce an electric vehicle that keeps its dedicated fans happy without compromise, the automaker will have to totally rethink the way it builds its vehicles. Hopefully, this new challenge will give birth to more incredible innovations like those the brand is known for. The brand faces the need to reinvent itself for the electric era.

Switching over to EV-production is harder for a niche manufacturer like McLaren than it is for other, mass-production-focused automakers. It simply doesn’t have the same scale or volume of resources to throw at the project without incurring huge risks for the company’s financial wellbeing.