The updated high-capacity battery is the result of the company’s lessons learned from the development of the McLaren Speedtail hypercar. As a result, the new battery pack weighs just 41 kg (90.4 lbs), making it 55 kg (121.2 lbs) lighter than the previous unit.
As with everything in life, lighter means more agile and faster, and that’s exactly what this new, lighter battery delivers. Acceleration from zero to 300 km/h now takes 16.1 seconds, 0.4 seconds less than with the more powerful battery. In addition, the new battery allows the P1 to be half a second faster on the famous Nardo circuit.
A little new life is being breathed into the McLaren P1 as the supercar maker introduces a new, lighter battery pack to P1 owners.
Those numbers might not sound like much, but by and large, batteries have a shelf life, meaning owners would likely need to replace their batteries one way or another by that point. At least with this new battery, owners of the McLaren P1 will get subtle but noticeable performance benefits.
The new battery pack will be available from July 2022.
The new battery will be offered on both the P1 and track-only P1 GTR, and owners have until July 2022 to book their appointment with their McLaren dealer. The battery comes with a 6-year guarantee.
Swipe up to learn more about the McLaren P1 battery upgrade program.
As a reminder, the McLaren P1’s plug-in hybrid powertrain was revolutionary for its time. The 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and electric motors had a combined output of 903 hp, and its powertrain had a feature called the Instant Power Assist System (IPAS).
IPAS is a Formula 1-derived technology that provides a momentary boost of acceleration via the electric motors, which was possible because the original battery pack could quickly self-discharge, just like a Formula 1 race car. Additionally, the plug-in hybrid powertrain was able to give the P1 an all-electric range of 6.8 miles.
