Are we entering an ‘arms race’ between internal combustion engine and electric sports cars?
Some engineers and senior automotive executives are beginning to question the superiority of electric sports cars, which have become a controversial topic among enthusiasts.
This week, Laurence Stroll, executive chairman of Aston Martin, told reporters at the company’s UK headquarters that Aston is slowing its move to electric, focusing instead on plug-in hybrids.
“We’re going to invest a lot more in our PHEV program to be a bridge between all-burn and all-electric,” Stroll said, according to Road & Track.
Stroll noted the “real lack of consumer demand” for electric sports cars. “We talk to our dealers, we talk to our customers – when you have a small network, you can communicate easily. And everybody said we still want sound, we still want smell,” he said.
British brand McLaren, known for its seductive – and fear-inducing – supercars, recently launched its 750S coupe and spider, successors to its widely successful 720S. The brand has one hybrid on sale, the Artura, which launches in 2022. However, customers still demand the palpable acoustics of the raucous 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 located behind the driver’s seat. The 750S may be the epitome of internal combustion engine (ICE) ingenuity.
Chief engineer Sandy Holford said his team had really raised the bar on the 750S, making it the lightest and most powerful production McLaren to date. “It offers more thrill, more power and more torque, as well as improved ergonomics and engagement,” Holford said.
The car’s stats are also mind-blowing, even without an electric motor: zero to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds; 740 horsepower; 590 lb-ft of torque.
ABC News spoke with Holford about the push for electric sports cars and their limitations. The conversation below has been edited.
Q: We’re seeing more electric supercars and hypercars. Will the 750S’s popularity be short-lived as more automakers build all-electric sports cars?
A: In the performance data arms race, there will come a point where physics gets in the way. And you can have all the power in the world, but if you can’t get the rubber stick when you back off, it’s not going to help you. It all depends on what the customers want. You can’t do anything up to 60 mph in crazy time, but you can only do half a lap at pace because of the battery. There has to be a balance – for us it’s road use and track use for the 750S. This car is a different proposition than an EV car.
For people thinking about the 750S, go out and try it. We can write about it, we can talk about it, but the proof is in the pudding and getting behind the wheel. It’s about trying to be the ultimate engagement car for people.
Q: How long have you been working on the 750S?
A: The development of the 750S took about two years plus some refinement time at the end, just really validating everything we tested through the development program and driving in real customer situations.
Q: You compared the 750S to its predecessor, the 720S. What was your goal with this car?
A: The 720S was revolutionary for its time – in terms of aerodynamic development, but also in terms of dynamic performance. The goal for us was to figure out where we could push this further, but also to really make this car a driver-centric car. How could we focus on the engagement and feeling of connection with the car – from the way the car reacts to you in terms of pedal mapping and shift maps – to the audio and exhaust sound effect.
We’ve moved everything around the cabin to really focus on where the driver is sitting. Every frequently used switch has been moved closer to the steering wheel.
The challenge was to stretch the highest performance for the 750S without losing any of the comfort and everyday use. We moved switches and controls to a place that didn’t exist in the previous car. For example, putting a special switch to raise the nose of the car is one of the feedback we received. The stem was harder to find in the 720S. Nose lift is now twice as fast.
All our cars are designed to be drivers’ cars; however, we continue to evaluate and improve based on customer feedback and our own benchmarking.
Q: Racing is at the heart of all McLaren cars. Is this the closest owners will get to driving an F1 car?
A: From McLaren’s point of view – no. It’s a road car that can be taken to a track. Our best product offering is usually closer to a racing vehicle – like the Senna GTR.
Q: Does the 750S mimic anything experienced by professional drivers?
A: We take a lot of cues from our racing peers in terms of how we develop: Our catchphrase is: “Fail fast, repeat and go again.”
The thing about the 750S is the breadth of options it has. The car will take care of you [on a track]. As you gain confidence in it, you can gradually turn things up, you can turn them off. You can enter variable drift control.
Q: Why was it important for drivers to feel engaged at speeds below 40 mph?
A: With the improvements in technology we have, some vehicles can feel really slow at high speeds. And it’s really easy to let your speed soar in a performance car because it handles so well.
It was really important to me that customers could experience that real engagement and that feeling of elation [lesser] speeds. You don’t want to have a car that only feels fast at 150 mph on a track.
Many of our customers will use this car on a track, but not all of our customers will. I still wanted customers to feel like they owned an attractive supercar.
