Royal Wedding ceremonies are a pretty classy affair,
and the cars that are part of the proceedings are quintessentially British.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding this past weekend was no different.
This time, their ride of choice was a Jaguar E-type; but what made this E-type
special was that it was the Zero – a one-off, all-electric concept from
Jaguar's Classic division, which was revealed last year.
To refresh your memory, the E-type Zero is a
restored Series 1.5 Roadster. It’s identical to the original in its
specifications, but gets LED headlights, as well as redone instruments and
fascia. An electric powertrain developing 299 hp was specially designed
for the E-type Zero. Its lithium-ion battery pack has the same dimensions (and
weighs the same) as the XK six-cylinder engine used in the original E-type.
That being said, it's actually 46 kg lighter than the original.
The Jaguar E-type Zero is quicker than an original
E-type: 0-100 km/h takes a claimed 5.5 sec, which is about a second quicker than a
Series 1. The car uses an electric powertrain which has weight and dimensions
similar to the original's petrol engine and transmission. This means the car’s
structure – including the suspension and brakes – haven't been changed. Jaguar
says the E-type Zero shares some technology and components with the I-Pace,
Jaguar Land Rover’s first production EV.
The E-type Zero has a ‘real world’ range of 270 km,
but Prince Harry only needed to drive it for about 3km for the evening
reception, from Windsor Castle to Frogmore House. Jaguar has stated that it
will "investigate bringing this concept to market”, and you can be sure
that if it does, it'll feature at many more weddings in the future.
