McLaren’s operations extend beyond building supercars and racing in Formula 1. McLaren Applied, founded in 1991 as McLaren Composites, offers its technical expertise to outside companies and has its own subsidiary, Lavoie. The company has made an electric scooter which debuted this week.
It’s called the Series 1. It’s made of automotive-grade magnesium and weighs 36 pounds (16.5 kilograms). It offers an electric range of 31 miles (50 kilometers) and has a two-hour charge time on a domestic three-pin plug. The scooter features the patented Flowfold system which, with the push of a button, folds down the front and rear wheel hinges and collapses the stem for easy storage.
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The scooter has a “breakthrough lighting system” that illuminates the rider with a rear-mounted light, making it more visible to traffic and pedestrians. Lavoie designed the scooter with spotlights on the sides to appear physically larger and easier for other vehicles to see, while a front lighting system illuminates the road ahead. It also has turn signals which are activated from the handlebars and an integrated display screen.
Lavoie paired the Series 1 with a mobile app. This feature allows the rider to track and locate the scooter as well as activate a loud deterrent alarm if needed. The app includes additional features such as turn-by-turn navigation, in-depth statistics and customization, almost like a real McLaren. If something goes wrong with the scooter, the app can notify the Lavoie support team, who can then inform the owner about the error and how to solve the problem.
“We wanted to build a vehicle that was reliable, perfectly functional, powerful, stylish, full of the most advanced technology – and built like a car or a motorcycle,” said Lavoie co-founder Eliott Wertheimer.
Neither Lavoie nor McLaren Applied said when the Series 1 could go on sale, but order books open next month. The company plans to release more details in the coming weeks. We wanted to learn more about the power, speed, price and affordability of Electrification scooters enabling new mobility solutions, and preview what scooters like the 1 Series might be.
