Modern McLaren patent filings trace at a triple-motor powertrain for foreseeable future supercars.
1 patent software, published in January 2023 and very first spotted by The Travel, describes a rear-axle push device consisting of a differential with three electric motors. A major motor is positioned at the differential’s enter, and two extra are at the outputs, the place the axle shafts exit and hook up the diff to the rear wheels. The housing for this mass of motors and gears would be manufactured of aluminum or magnesium to help save fat in accordance to the software.
McLaren triple-motor powertrain patent picture (from software revealed Jan. 2023)
In the software, McLaren statements the a few-motor process would permit for finer manage of electric power supply and regenerative braking by manipulating unique motors. It could also perform with hydrogen gas cells or supercapacitors as properly as batteries, in accordance to the application. The same generate unit could be used on the entrance axle for all-wheel push, or even in 3-wheeled motor vehicles, McLaren claims.
This isn’t the to start with patent application McLaren has submitted for this strategy, though. A different software, published in November of 2022, details a additional complex method that retains an inner-combustion engine. It encompasses 1 electric powered motor powering every single front wheel, with a third electric motor driving the rear wheels along with the combustion engine.
McLaren triple-motor powertrain patent picture (from application printed Nov. 2022)
This seems like a way to make on the present McLaren Artura plug-in hybrid, which employs a one electric powered motor to aid a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 travel its rear wheels, and is also able of 19 miles of electric selection. Including entrance motors would enable all-wheel push, and the patent application discusses disengaging the rear motor and combustion motor, that means they would handle all-electrical operation as properly.
McLaren Applied Technologies, a individual division from the McLaren Automotive device that develops road cars, also lately announced a partnership with in-wheel motor business Elaphe to include the latter’s tech into powertrains for “extremely economical and hyper-responsive electrical vehicles.” So whilst all of these concepts may not make it to creation, McLaren is evidently interested in experimenting with higher levels of electrification.