The present company traces its origins to the merger of two McLaren Technology Group subsidiaries: McLaren Composites and TAG Electronics Systems. TAG Electronics Holdings, the parent of both TAGMcLaren Audio (now Audiolab) and TAG Electronics Systems, was dissolved following the sale of Audiolab to International Audio Group. The remaining technology operations were merged with McLaren Composites to create McLaren Applied Technologies in 2004, having first operated as McLaren Composites until 2003.
McLaren Composites' initial work centred on manufacturing parts for the McLaren F1 road car and the Mercedes SLR McLaren, before the company expanded into energy-related projects including solar panels. In September 2014, Ian Rhodes succeeded founder Ron Dennis as chief executive of the company. The company name was shortened to McLaren Applied on 2 January 2020.
In 2021, McLaren Group sold McLaren Applied to Greybull Capital as part of a broader restructuring driven by financial difficulties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Greybull's ownership the company received substantial new investment in facilities, products, and staff. In August 2025, the company completed a rebrand, adopting the name Motion Applied.
The company's most prominent motorsport role is as the exclusive manufacturer of the Standard Electronic Control Unit (SECU) for all Formula One teams. This contract has been held continuously since 2008 and was extended to cover the 2026 to 2030 period. Beyond the ECU, the company supplies software, sensors, and additional components to multiple Formula One teams.
Outside Formula One, the company holds the contract to supply engine control units to the IndyCar Series, a position it has held since 2007 when IndyCar standardised its ECU supply (displacing previous supplier Motorola). A shared common base underpins both the IndyCar and NASCAR Cup Series ECUs; the NASCAR contract dates from 2012 when the series transitioned from carburettors to fuel injection. The company also produced the electric motor, transmission, and electronics used in the Spark-Renault SRT 01E, the car used in the inaugural Formula E season.
The company has built a specialised position in automotive-grade vehicle electrification components. Its current fifth-generation inverter, the IPG5, is based on an 800-volt Silicon Carbide architecture and has secured orders with several car manufacturers, receiving recognition through multiple e-mobility industry awards.
Motion Applied delivers communications technology for environments where stable connectivity is difficult to maintain, including public transport networks and mining operations. Products include what the company describes as the first 5G edge computing antenna, offered alongside software described as derived from Formula One experience. The Halo300 antenna range is among its current communication product offerings.
The company has undertaken projects across a wide range of domains beyond its current focus. In 2010, it developed systems that supported Team GB's medal campaigns at the 2012 London Olympics across rowing, sailing, and cycling. A collaboration with Specialized Bicycle Components produced the S-Works+McLaren Venge racing bicycle, which was ridden by Mark Cavendish. Work with GlaxoSmithKline included optimising the toothpaste production changeover time at a Maidenhead factory from 39 minutes to 15 minutes, yielding an estimated additional 6.7 million tubes per year. The company also provided electronics and data systems for the Ekofisk drilling plant in the North Sea and worked with wind turbine and data centre operators.
In August 2023, the company's electric scooter unit, Lavoie, acquired Dutch e-bike manufacturer VanMoof.
The company has won multiple Queen's Awards for Enterprise in the innovation and international trade categories. In 2022, it received the Motorsport Industry Association Business Excellence award for Technology and Innovation.