McLaren plans an electric sports car that will be like the 675LT

McLaren has already shown some interest in electrifying their models. And initially, we thought that they will just use hybrid systems to use across their current lineup. Nevertheless, we have learned that they are actually planning something much bigger and one that’s quite unexpected.

Not so long ago, McLaren unveiled the 720S which changed the image of the British automaker. As we know, it will have a more upscale look, a stronger engine, and a lighter chassis. But this is just the beginning of the company’s transition to brighter future. It has been reported that the company has been developing a pure electric sports car which will be released in a few years, confirming what was rumoured last June.

Autocar reports that the electric sports car will have a performance similar to that of the 675LT, and will be one of McLaren’s range-topping Ultimate Series of vehicles like the P1. Since it is still under development, there is still no schedule as to when the model will come out. But it’s likely to arrive after the P15 and BP23, which are scheduled to both make their debut in 2018. The P15 will be the second Ultimate Series model after the P1 that had already been sold out.

The British automaker confirmed in an interview last year that they are working on a pure electric vehicle for the Ultimate Series and that this needs to be at least as exciting as the 675LT. They said that it has to be able to manage 30 minutes on track following a 30-minute break before it heads back out.

The road-legal coupe will borrow the hybrid P1 hypercar’s technology, considering that the company supplies Formula E powertrains. And since the 675LT has as much as 666 horsepower (496 kilowatts) and 516 pound-feet of torque from its 3.8 liter twin turbo V8, we are assuming that the electric sports car will be a little bit more powerful and can yield almost 700 horsepower. We also think that it should be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in approximately 2.5 seconds, while the 675LT does the 0-62 sprint in just 2.9 seconds.

Alongside the P15 and the BP23 that will be unveiled next year, the electric sports car will also be part of McLaren’s new Track22 business plan. Overall, the company invested 1.4 billion dollars into research and development as part of their strategy for the next six years. In this period, they also plan to unveil 15 new models and derivatives. And by 2022, the company hopes to install hybrid technology on at least 50 percent of their vehicles.