Jaguar I-Pace Concept: Electric Cat to Slink Onto Roads in 2018
Jaguar has pulled the wraps off its I-Pace Concept SUV ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, but this prototype isn’t just a one-off piece of vaporware, never to be seen again.
The automaker’s first electric vehicle is a go, and is expected to hit the road in 2018 to challenge Tesla’s Model X in the fledgling premium electric SUV segment.
Riding atop a homegrown EV platform built to underpin a range of EV models, the I-Pace aims to be the emissions-free brother of the brand’s popular F-Pace. Make that a cousin, as the I-Pace looks nothing like its conventionally styled stablemate. Low, with a short nose, severely slanted rear glass and a cab-forward layout, the I-pace might have some wondering if it fits the “SUV” label.
Well, Jaguar says it does, and the fact that it has a liftgate and a name that doesn’t end in “Type” should (apparently) be all the evidence one needs.
Power and traction are easy to come by, but the I-Pace needs to satisfy another element if it wants to compete: range. Jaguar claims the I-Pace should be good for 220 miles of it, thanks to its 90 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Like the platform, the vehicle’s battery pack was also designed in-house. The company claims that a full recharge at a public 50 kW DC charging station should take two hours.
Motivating this beast are two electric motors, each driving one axle. The combined output — 400 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque — should see the all-wheel-drive vehicle accelerate to 60 miles per hour in four seconds. The low center of gravity provided by the in-floor battery pack coupled with lag-free electric torque should equal a compelling ride, assuming platform and body stiffness is up to snuff. The company claims it has borrowed some suspension components from the F-Pace, so the tossability factor could be high.
Jaguar’s director of design, Ian Callum, claims he wants the I-Pace to ooze British craftsmanship, both mechanical and technological. Once it hits the roads, drivers can expect two touchscreens and a host of creature comforts, including a panoramic sunroof and probably half a herd’s worth of supple hide.
A production version of the I-Pace should appear next year, ahead of its 2018 on-sale date.
[Image: Jaguar Land Rover]
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- EBFlex The way things look in the next 5-10 years no. There are no breakthroughs in battery technology coming, the charging infrastructure is essentially nonexistent, and the price of entry is still way too high.As soon as an EV can meet the bar set by ICE in range, refueling times, and price it will take off.
- Jalop1991 Way to bury the lead. "Toyota to offer two EVs in the states"!
- Jalop1991 I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
- Jalop1991 We need a game of track/lease/used/new.
- Ravenuer This....by far, my most favorite Cadillac, ever.
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@Jagboi what models/years of Jaguar are a good buy?
So would you roll the dice on a 2013 XF AWD with 52,000 km for $32,995 CDN rather than a 2017 Camry XLE for the same price?