- The McLaren Speedtail has the highest specific battery power of any production road car
- Completed high-speed testing in the United States
McLaren’s latest flagship is the Speedtail which is claimed to be the fastest McLaren ever. And now, it has proven its mettle after crossing the 400kmph mark in the high-speed testing conducted in the United States. The top speed of 403kmph was achieved more than 30 times, claims the British carmaker. On the occasion, the Woking-based carmaker has also given out official details of the Speedtail’s hybrid powertrain.
The M840TQ powertrain uses McLaren’s 4.0-litre V8 combined with an electric drive unit, which has a combined output of 1,035bhp and maximum torque of 1,150Nm. This hybrid powertrain has evolved from McLaren’s first hybrid hypercar, the P1. The V8 gets a new lightweight air-intake system, improved cylinder head cooling and revised piston design. What’s more, the hybrid-GT can hit 300kmph from standstill in mere 12.8 seconds (the P1 took 16.3 seconds).
The Formula E-derived electric motor generates more than 230kW and the power delivery is 8.3kW/kg which is twice the efficiency of an average sports car. Engineers from McLaren Applied have worked with the Speedtail Electric Drive Technology team. Together they managed to integrate the motorsport-developed inverter and DC/DC converter technology into the electric drive system.
A high power cylindrical cell arranged in a unique array gives the 1.647kWh unit an extremely compact dimension and the best power-to-weight ratio of any high voltage battery available today. Compared to the P1 (5.2kW/kg and output of 270kW), the power density of Speedtail’s battery is up by almost four times. These output figures are achievable because the cells are thermally controlled by a dielectric cooling system and permanently immersed in a lightweight, electrically insulative oil which quickly transfers heat away from the cells. This system is the first of its kind in a production road car and it also allows the cells to run harder and for longer.
The Speedtail will have a limited production run of just 106 models, which incidentally is the same production number of the iconic McLaren F1. More importantly, all of the 106 units have already been sold at 1.75 million Euros (approx. Rs 14.52 crore) apiece.
