Jaguar has finally revealed its first production electric vehicle - the I-Pace. The company has taken 4 years to build the car from the concept stage to the production version. Jaguar has been extensively testing the car and in fact the design, according to Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design, 'is developed by using physics'. Unlike other Jaguar cars, this one does not get a long bonnet and that's because there is no internal combustion engine. In fact, the shorter bonnet helps in improving aerodynamics. The all-electric car comes with a sloping bonnet, sleek LED headlamps, honeycomb pattern grille and a wide central airdam. The car also comes with a lovely set of alloys and turn light integrated ORVMs. It has been rigorously tested across extremes of terrain and temperatures from -40 degrees to 40 degrees celcius. With over 1.5 million test miles and a further 11,000 hours of rig simulations completed by more than 200 production prototypes. Callum describes the I-Pace as 'technically an SUV', which has helped with packaging the extra height required for the batteries and ancillaries, but although the i-Pace isn't pitched as an off-roader, it's capable of a wading depth of 500mm.
The squarish rear of the I-Pace is better for aerodynamics according to designer Ian Callum
The design hasn't moved away from the concept but the production I-Pace is slightly narrower, slightly taller and the wheels are smaller when compared to the concept. The front sees a small boot, but at the rear, gets a total lof 665 litres of bootspace which is extremely usable.
Jaguar promises that the cabin is a spacious place to be in and comes with a whole bunch of storage space as also features. It comes with mobile device charging options aboard, with three 12v sockets, six USB ports and one HDMI/HML port. The electric SUV uses the same radical dual-screen InControl Touch Pro Duo infotainment system that Jaguar launched on the Range Rover Velar. Additionally, the InControl Remote app is getting an Alexa skill that will let drivers ask Alexa-enabled devices for information on the I-Pace's charge level. It also comes with a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot and slots for tablets and laptops under the rear seats
The cabin is spacious and comes equipped with a ton of features
Of course, the electric battery at the heart is what we have to talk about. The electric motors have been designed in-house at Jaguar and are relatively light, weighing about 38kg each. The motors are mounted as low as possible in the sandwich platform and this has been done to ensure optimum weight distribution which helps in making the I-Pace agile.
The proportions of the production car haven't changed much when compared to the concept
The I-Pace comes with two synchronous permanent magnet electric motors at the front and the rear axle which have a combined power output of 395 bhp and makes maximum of 696 Nm of torque. It also features an AWD system. A 0-100 kmph sprint takes 4.5 seconds and the performance SUV will have a range of over 480 km. The 90kWh lithium-ion battery pack takes 45 minutes to charge from 0-80 per cent using a 100kW rapid charger, or 10 hours using a 7kW AC wallbox.
Production of the new Jaguar I-Pace starts later in 2018, at Magna Steyr in Austria, alongside the E-Pace. It takes 8 hours to build one I-Pace at this factory. Now, will it come to India? We're not quite sure. It won't come anytime soon for sure but in the next couple of years, maybe!
