Jaguar has unveiled a concept that previews a full-electric version of the F-Pace SUV.
Debuting at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the I-Pace concept boasts a 0-60mph time of around four seconds, an official range between charges of more than 300 miles and fast charging of its 90kWh battery.
The car is much more than an F-Pace with an electric powertrain added, however. Its design has been bespoke, creating a new engineering package to make the most of Jaguar Land Rover’s development of electric propulsion.
Jaguar describes the unveiling of the I-Pace as the start of a new era for the brand. It has already demonstrated its commitment to electric propulsion by entering a team in the fully-electric FIA Formula E Championship.
A production version of the I-Pace will go on sale in 2018, and is claimed to offer ‘precise, agile driving dynamics as yet unseen on an electric vehicle,’ the car’s designers describing it as a ‘no-compromise smart, five seat sports car and a performance SUV in one.’
The car uses two electric motors, one mounted on each axle to retain the all-wheel-drive capability of the F-Pace and provide combined power and torque of 400hp and 700Nm – the latter figure matching that of the current range-topping F-Pace SVR.
Both the motors and the 90kWh lithium-ion battery pack have been designed in-house by Jaguar Land Rover. A full charge using a typical public 50 KW DC charging network will take around two hours, giving a range of more than 300 miles measured on Europe’s NEDC test cycle.
Jaguar Land Rover head Dr Wolfgang Ziebart describes the I-Pace as an uncompromised electric vehicle designed from a clean sheet of paper. “We’ve developed a new architecture and selected only the best technology available – the I-Pace Concept fully exploits the potential EVs can offer in space utilisation, driving pleasure and performance,” he says.
