Gary Zhou 
McLaren Applied has revealed how it aims to conquer the EV industry in the coming years.
McLaren has consistently been on the bleeding edge of technology for its entire history as a company. From its time in Formula 1 to its work within automotive engineering, it has been a leader in automotive technology. Now, the company’s ex-technology wing has shared its plan to conquer the EV industry in an interview with Forbes.
McLaren Applied was the section of McLaren’s business that took the innovations from the track and its consumer hypercars and attempted to leverage them in other businesses. This resulted in the brand being involved in the engineering of everything from bicycles to medical equipment. But following the acquisition of the business by Greybull Capital, its mission has become more precise; data communications and engineering within mainstream vehicles.
As revealed in the report from Forbes, McLaren Applied’s automotive engineering work now focuses on supplying parts to other automakers, notably inverters for electric vehicles. And here is where the now independent business hopes to conquer the current EV leader, Tesla.
As described by McLaren Applied’s Stephen Lambert, Head of Electrification, the company views electrification as occurring in multiple waves. The first wave was Elon Musk’s introduction of the Tesla Roadster, and we now find ourselves within the second wave of electrification, mass proliferation. Automakers worldwide are attempting to bring as many offerings to the new market as possible as an ever-increasing number of consumers choose to electrify their mobility.
But where McLaren is focused is on what they call the third and fourth wave of electrification. The third wave will be one focused on EV efficiency. Which automaker can go the furthest with the smallest battery and thus achieve the best profit margins? And here is where McLaren introduces its product, its IPG5 EV inverter.
“The inverter really is the heart of that driver experience,” says Lambert in a comment to Forbes. The inverter is directly responsible for taking energy from the battery and directing it to the motors of an EV, allowing for precise (or imprecise) motor control as a driver. Lambert explains that this is why so many seem to prefer the driving experience of the Porsche Taycan over alternative Tesla products.
McLaren’s inverter is quite extraordinary. Not only does the company claim it is the most power-dense inverter on the market, but thanks to its proprietary design, its compatibility with 800-volt architecture, and its use of silicon carbide, it is capable of achieving unparalleled levels of performance and efficiency.
This feeds into what McLaren believes will be the fourth wave of electrification, the driving experience of electric vehicles.
As the market of electric vehicles continues to grow, consumers will look for more ways to choose between the vehicles. Through part choices like the inverter, McLaren believes that the driving experience of different EVs will become dramatically different. And as the British engineering firm continues to aid its luxury automaker partners, it believes it can continue to deliver “Tesla-beating” products.
McLaren Applied has worked with Porsche, Formula E, and Extreme E in introducing and testing its products in recent years, but it hopes to work with other motorsports partners and automakers in the coming years. But if it hopes to dethrone the likes of Tesla, it has quite a hill to climb.
