McLaren will introduce
 a pure-electric model that must “perform like the 675LT”, according to an Autocar source.

No date is set for the launch of the battery-powered car, but it’s expected to be part of the brand’s range-topping Ultimate Series and will arrive after the P15 due later this year — dubbed the most extreme road car in McLaren’s history — and the three-seat BP23 coming in 2018.
Although McLaren has previously confirmed to Autocar that it is building an electric model, it has been touted as a test bed only, partly to help McLaren with its aim of making half of its cars hybrid by 2022. Now, our source has confirmed a production model is on the cards. The brand’s intention is to build five examples initially and ask a selection of favoured McLaren owners to drive them as part of the development process.
McLaren’s experience with its hybrid P1 hypercar and its role supplying the powertrains to Formula E racing cars will help its progression of an electric road car. From 2018, McLaren Applied Technologies will provide a new battery that will enable Formula E cars to complete an entire race on a single charge, effectively doubling their driving range and eliminating the need
for drivers to switch cars mid-race. Such an effective battery would translate well to a high-performance road car.
However, before an electric model arrives, McLaren will introduce hybrids to its Sports Series and Super Series. It will launch its hybrid powertrains at the end of the current five- year model lifecycles, said the source. That means the 570 replacement, due in 2020, will be hybrid, followed by a 720 successor, due in 2021.
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Luckily there are enough interesting cars in the world of Octane to see me out.
At last
At last something of genuine interest from McLaren. Until super car makers innovate beyond materials to drive trains they will continue to be anachronisms.
At last
At last something of genuine interest from McLaren. Until super car makers innovate beyond materials to drive trains they will continue to be anachronisms.
Interesting? Yes. Appealing
Interesting? Yes. Appealing to me? No. From an environmental standpoint, electric cars are only better when the full life cycle of the electric car is better than that of a combustion car -- from manufacturing of everything, including the batteries and electric motors, through use (including the charging source), to final disposal. I could see having an electric car, once it's as (or almost as) convenient as an internal combustion car, as a means of routine transportation. I've driven a few Teslas, and they're very impressive. However, for a fun/enthusiast car, I can't imagine myself wanting one. I really don't care about the potentially outrageous performance, because today's fast cars are already much faster than is useable on the road, so faster still is IMO absolutely pointless. Worse, what makes them capable of that massive performance often makes those ultra-fast cars LESS fun at road speeds (even fast road speeds). A major part of my enjoyment of a car is the engine -- how it feels, and especially how it sounds. No electric motor whine could ever come close to giving the enjoyment of the sound of a great-sounding engine, especially a V8 or V12.