Weekender: Will I-PACE bring Jaguar electric vehicles in from the cold?
One of Jaguar’s most significant new models will finally go on sale at the beginning of March, the company has said.
The all-electric I-PACE is the company’s first volume entry into the electric vehicle sector and will be a car which could define the future direction of the business.
With concerns about the future of diesel engines due to increasing governmental pressure on emissions, many manufacturers are upping investment in their electric options.
Jaguar Land Rover has already said it plans to offer electric variants of its entire model range within the next three years, therefore sales of the I-PACE will be keenly scrutinised.
Jaguar has said the new car will deliver both rapid charging and rapid performance when it goes on sale on March 1.
It will be capable of charging from zero to 80% capacity in 45 minutes, using a DC 100kW charger and will benefit from sports car performance and SUV practicality.
Too good to be true maybe, but the company is aiming for the car to become the perfect vehicle for everyday use – from the school run or the daily commute to coping with sub-zero temperatures.
The latter is significant as the company has recently completed rigorous testing of the vehicle across extremes of terrain and temperature. For the winter testing, the company took the car to the Arctic at Jaguar Land Rover’s cold weather test facility in Arjeplog, Sweden, where temperatures drop as low as -40°C.
Ian Hoban, Jaguar Vehicle Line Director, said: “Not only will the I-PACE charge quickly enough for our customers to carry out their everyday lives, it will offer powerful and precise performance in a variety of conditions and climactic extremes. Allied with the versatile credentials of our celebrated PACE family, this will be an electric performance SUV like no other.”
Customers will be able to use mains power to prepare the car’s battery and cabin temperature ahead of a journey. Pre-conditioning the car ensures maximum range, performance and comfort whether temperatures are freezing cold or extremely hot.
Setting up preferred charging times and pre-conditioning schedules can be done from either the on-board InControl system, or the remote smartphone app, which the company said was as easy as setting an alarm.
The Jaguar I-PACE was recently voted by readers of What Car? magazine as the most anticipated new car of 2018, securing six times the votes of any other model on the shortlist, which includes the likes Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and Audi.
The I-PACE will be revealed in a live global broadcast on March 1 and will go on to receive its public premiere at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6.
Jaguar I-PACE
Jaguar I-PACEI
