Jaguar has released more information about the
I-Pace – the company’s first all-electric vehicle that is set to make its
global debut on March 1 this year. The SUV was first previewed by a
similarly-named concept in 2016, and is the star of a Formula E support race
series as well.
The British carmaker touts the I-Pace as the
“perfect every day car – whether on the school run, daily commute or even
coping with sub-zero temperatures.” As these photos suggest, the model’s
development process involved testing the vehicle in extreme conditions.
In this case, that involved subjected the I-Pace to
Arctic conditions at Jaguar Land Rover’s cold weather test facility in
Arjeplog, Sweden, where temperatures can plummet to as low as negative 40 degrees
Celsius. All that ice and snow are also a good test of the SUV’s electric
all-wheel drive system’s performance.
While full details about the car’s powertrain will
remain a mystery until early March, Jaguar did state the I-Pace is capable of
fast charging. In less than 45 minutes, the batteries can be charged from zero
to 80%, provided of course it is plugged into a 100 kW DC charger. Throwback to
2016, Jaguar said its I-Pace concept can get a 90 kWh lithium-ion battery pack
charged from zero to 80% in just 90 minutes when using a 50 kW DC charger.
If the concept was any indication, we should be
seeing a similar battery size used, one that is claimed to offer over 500 km of
driving range (NEDC cycle). The batteries are mounted on the floor of a
dedicated electric platform, juicing up the electric motors on either axle. The
system on the concept offers 400 PS/700 Nm worth of output, and will do the
0-96 km/h sprint in four seconds.
