New Delhi: JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) will partner with Indian battery company Agratas to source packs that will give EVs a range of up to 720 km, the company told investors on Monday, reported several digital media outlets.
Tata, the parent firm of JLR, is looking at both the UK and Spain as potential locations for a European cell facility.
Batteries are planned to be manufactured first in Gujarat, India, after Tata struck an agreement with the state in early June to develop a cell factory with an initial capacity of 20GWh.
JLR informed attendees at the company’s investor day that Agratas batteries will have a substantially higher energy density than those in the Jaguar I-Pace, the company’s lone EV at the moment.
According to JLR’s head of product engineering, Thomas Müller, the new batteries will provide 120kWh from 342 litres of cell capacity, compared to 84kWh from 387 litres in the I-Pace pack.
According to Müller, the EMA Ultra Range pack has a range of up to 720 km.
JLR has previously said that the electric Jaguar will have a range of 694 km. According to Müller, the new battery would also allow for quick charging, which would provide 320 km of range in 15 minutes.
Agratas will be in charge of cell design and manufacture, while JLR will be in charge of cell pack design and production.
Both businesses will collaborate on a recycling solution. Müller claimed “full transparency across the value chain” in terms of acquiring and refining components for the pack.
JLR will introduce an electric Range Rover next year, followed by the first of three electric Jaguars, a four-door GT, in 2025.
It is unclear whether the Agratas batteries will be available in time for the first electric Range Rover or Jaguar.
