Jaguar Launches Electric Vehicle - Meet the I-Pace!

Jaguar has made some of the sexiest and most desired cars on the planet for decades but the past decade hasn't been kind to the car maker as they aren't seen as trendy anymore. Owning a Jaguar used to be classy and still is in my opinion and locked in a legacy when the British car builder built the E-Type, the sexiest car ever, in the 60s.

However, it didn't really have as much success in the decades that followed until the mid 2000s, when it rolled out the XF Sedan and F-Type two seater, these were beasts that could compete with the likes of Mercedes and BMW.

The company has carried that design DNA over into more mainstream models, like the XE sedan, and what’s become its fastest selling car ever, the F-Pace SUV.

Clearly Jaguar figured it out and has been able to capitalize on its new image. Nowadays to compete means going 'eco-friendly' as sustainability is in and gas guzzling is out (as if it was ever really in?)

And now Jaguar is going after Tesla and the electric car market. The concept vehicle was unveiled at the LA Auto Show one year ago, where it won praise for its bold, sleek, design. Today, before the production vehicle goes on sale in 2018, the company is calibrating one of the first vehicles off the line. Jag isn't ready to let an outsider drive, so Simon Patel, its senior powertrain program manager, is showing me what the car can do, which you can watch in the video above.

Can you imagine rolling around in an electric Jaguar? Best of both worlds I'd say!

Jaguar has brought the car to the LA Auto Show partially for the publicity, partly because the city is a good place for testing: the heavy traffic, hot weather, and rough pavements in Los Angeles give engineers the chance to tweak software settings for suspension, to adjust what they call NVH, for noise, vibration, and harshness. Thermal management systems need testing too, to keep both the battery and the occupants of the car cool, while still giving maximum possible range.

This is a high-end performance vehicle running thermal management systems and an advanced suspension running state of the art software. Impressed yet?

"We've got cars running in hot markets like Dubai, to sign off the hot side of things, as well as Russia and Sweden for the low temperature stuff, and snow and ice," says Patel. Lithium-ion batteries are happiest operating at 75 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but max power comes at a higher heat—115 degrees. Long term that can degrade battery life, and engineers are working to balance all these factors.

It seems the biggest challenge in the marriage between sports cars and electric models is keeping the heat down. This is extremely important both in regard to the Lithium-ion battery as well as the engine.

So lets talk specs for a moment eh?

To compete with the likes of Tesla’s Model X, and Audi’s upcoming E-Tron Quattro electric SUVs, Jag hasn’t held back on the numbers. The I-Pace can access around 400 horsepower from two electric motors, for a 0-60 sprint in around four seconds. That’s plenty fast enough to mash my head back against the headrest (and elicit a giggle) each time Patel plants his foot. Range from the 90KWh battery pack will be over 250 miles, (if Jag sticks to what it showed in the concept, which is likely). That's similar to Tesla’s top end car. Prices are likely to be top end too, but Jaguar isn’t ready to reveal that yet.

These are the features that seem interesting to me:

400 Horsepower
0-60 in Four Seconds
250 Mile Range Between Charges

This thing is a real trooper in my opinion!

Jaguar is building the car in Graz, Austria, and already reportedly has 25,000 people interested. The company sold 150,000 vehicles globally in 2016, which was up 77 percent on the year before. If it gets the I-Pace right the company could capitalize on the growing demand for both SUVs and electric cars, and have another hit on its hands.

What do you guys think about this new bold, all-electric I-Pace? Do you think this car will gain mass appeal and bring back the glory days for Jaguar?

Thanks for dropping by!

Source:
An Inside Look at Jaguar's Bold, All-Electric I-Pace - Wired

Image Source:
Fortune