The new McLaren P1 is a hybrid, but this is hybrid power like you’ve never known before. The McLaren P1 puts down a combined 913 PS and 900Nm of torque, all while emitting less than 200g/km of CO2, with the ability to run on emission-free electric drive mode as well. This is the future of supercars.
The combustion engine part of the McLaren P1’s hybrid powertrain is a revised version of the 3.8 litre M838T motor that debuted in the McLaren MP4-12C. It has been significantly upgraded to optimise cooling and durability under the higher loads, and the engine block has now been modified to interface with an electric motor. The combustion engine alone does 737 PS at 7,500rpm and 720Nm of torque from 4,000rpm, in a brilliant combination of both high revving and turbocharging.
The P1’s M838T is paired with a lightweight electric motor developed by the McLaren Electronics arm of the Group. It produces 179 PS and 260Nm of torque, of which all 260 are available from standstill. The electric motor is mounted directly onto the engine, and all drive is channelled through the dual-clutch seven-speed gearbox to drive the rear wheels.
An interesting use of the electric motor is to provide faster upshifts. This is achieved through the application of instant negative torque at the point of shift, making the engine revs drop as quickly and efficiently as possible to the required engine speed for the upshift. When off-throttle the electric motor provides additional drag torque, recovering energy to the battery that would otherwise be lost to the brakes.
In E-mode, in which the car is powered by the electric motor alone, the McLaren P1 can travel up to 10km on a full charge. When the battery is empty, the petrol engine will automatically start to maintain drive and charge the battery.
In additional to recharging by the engine or brake energy regeneration, the McLaren P1 is also equipped with a plug-in charger which can recharge the battery, from empty, in only two hours. The plug-in charger can be stored in the luggage compartment, although the customer may choose to store it off-board – in a garage or the pits – to save weight.
On the steering wheel, you will find two interesting buttons. One is to activate the the DRS (Drag Reduction System) and the other will activate IPAS (Instant Power Assist System). The DRS system uses a movable flap on the rear wing to reduce the amount of drag on the rear wing. The wing reduces in angle to lower drag by 23%. The system immediately deactivates when the button is released, or if the driver touches the brake pedal.
IPAS is designed to deliver power rapidly for high performance acceleration, and provides 179PS of instant additional power via the electric motor. In this mode, power delivery is prioritised over energy storage. The McLaren P1’s battery uses a combination of high power cells, low pack weight and an innovative cooling system. The battery weighs just 96kg, and is mounted onto the underbody of the high-strength Formula 1-grade carbon fibre MonoCage chassis, which seals the unit in the vehicle, thus avoiding the added weight of any unnecessary battery packaging. Coolant flow is balanced so each cell is cooled to the same temperature across the entire pack.
This may seem like a lot of info on the car already, but McLaren says full details will only be released in the coming weeks prior to the Geneva Motor Show, where the P1 will be shown to the public officially.
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This monster will fight head-to-head with the Ferrari F70. Wonder which will be the best.
This car got bad RV. Buy 10 million but 1 month later you want to sell, you only get 5 million.
haha again with the RV. unfortunately this time u are very wrong. hypercars like the p1 will become collectors’ item in the future. which means its value will rise more than its purchase price. example: mclaren f1, ferrari f40, porsche carrera gt…
can u say the same will happen to yr beloved hilux too?
Mclaren F1 (The P1 predecessor), when new in 1993 is US$997,000, which is about US$1,850,000 in 2012 money. In 2008, a base spec Mclaren F1[As opposed to the LM, GTR or longtail] snapped up £3.5 million or about US$5,300,000 in today’s conversion.
Ferrari Enzo, which is more comparable since there was only 64 F1 ever built and there are 400 Enzo which is comparable to the plan P1 production run of 500 units. The Enzo MRSP is US$670,000 in 2002, which is about US$864,500 in 2012 US money. Retail today at DuPontRegistry is at $1,577,000 while Jensen’s old 2003 Enzo was sold for $1,500,000.
Hypercars like the P1, the upcoming F70(codename F150), prices usually goes up, up and away and rival property prices because they are exclusive and they are a real mark in the automobile history. Even cars with more than exclusive productions numbers like the Ferrari F40(1315 units), SLR Mclaren (2000+ uniits) or Porsche Carrera GT(1270 units), the price don’t drop that fast or, in the case of the Carrera GT, maintain it’s original price to this day, Original MSRP US$440,000 or 471,500 2012 cash and sold on Pistonheads.com Dec 31 2012, US$484,400. Even a 2 decade old Ferrari F40 which is about US$400k when new in 1985 ($664,000 2012)was sold for US$751k at RM Arizona 2012.
So, bad RV? Oh, How wrong are you. but still with that leaky brain of yours it’s expected.
just checked Jensen Button’s enzo was sold for US$1,677,000
Dude. If you have nothing nice to say, just STFU. And this sort of car is at the pinnacle of automotive engineering. Your silly remark on “bad RV” is not just an insult to McLaren and their fans, it’s also an insult to automotive world in general.
Amazing indeed. Maybe they can look at grephene as supercapacitor to further reduce the weight, and charging time.
Less than 200g/km of CO2 emissions is less than the 2.5 Gen CRV my family have (221g/km….), AMAZING with this kind of monstrous performance.
The world is going HYBRID now, HYBRID is the FUTURE, and the FUTURE IS NOW………..!!!
FUTURE is pure electric. Hybrid is just a filler.
Looks like we have a 3 way fight coming up soon.
The McLaren P1 vs Porsche 918 vs Ferrari F70.
All of them are high performance Hybrids.
In fact, the P1 and 918 looks similar size as well!
Can’t wait to see these engineering marvel performs.
You forgot Honda NSX
Is the New NSX expected to have so much power?? Coz my expectation of the NSX is in the region of GTR (i.e. 500+ HP). These three I’m talking about having a surplus of 800++ HP.
Just saying…
The 918 has a reportedly combine output of 785 bhp and weighs in at a lofty 1,700kg. So I don’t really expect it to go on head to head with the the P1 or the new F70 (which has a reported 950 bhp coming from a hybrid V12 while weighing just 1270kg). But the 918 still has some amazing tech, like the flywheel capacitor and vertical exhaust. Still, 2013 will feel like 2002 all over again, Zonda S, Carrera GT and Enzo, another Hypercar awesome year.
And no Kalun, the 2013 NSX has around 500bhp combine output from it’s hybrid V6. But it was reported to have a launch 0-60 in 3.0 sec dead with the help of the electric motors. But for sheer power and frightening speed is hard to compare it to the European monster. But interesting fact, Gordon Murray was liked the original NSX so much that he asked Honda to develpe a V12 4.5l with I-VTEC for the Mclaren F1 (and Honda and Mclaren were a team in F1). But of course, Honda said no and the F1 got a BMW M V12 (which was the second best option) instead. The McLaren F1 development took the NSX(yes NSX)as a benchmark for responds and handling, and Gordon predicted a higher output and better throttle responds if the F1 has the I-VTEC tech.
Was wondering when exactly that little button labelled DRS will be used….drag race between another P1 perhaps ? thee hee hee
Hm… hybrid… can get tax exemption? (Just kidding, it’s above 2 liter… but then again didn’t BMW also got the exemption for >2 liter cars?)
i’m waiting for this coming out on Top Gear UK.
Better than CRZ’s fake hybrid.
will this car accelerate faster than a bugatti veyron in quarter mile?
Judging by the numbers (it is lighter than the Veyron), I bet you it will ;)