The new Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV will be unveiled via a digital event on Thursday, the British manufacturer has announced.
A short release from the company confirmed that the reveal of its first pure-electric vehicle – which is expected to stick pretty close to the concept originally shown at the LA Motor Show in 2016 – will be streamed live on Jaguar’s social channels from 6pm UK time on Thursday 1 March.
Jaguar claims that “thousands of prospective customers” have registered their interest in the I-Pace, which is designed to compete with the likes of the Tesla Model S and Audi’s Q8 e-tron. The release was accompanied by a top-down photo showing the I-Pace sitting between Jaguar’s two existing conventionally powered SUVs, the E-Pace and the F-Pace. We’ll get another chance to see the car a few days after the digital reveal at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.
Image 84 of 88
Jaguar I-Pace range and charging times
The I-Pace is Jaguar’s first all-electric model and will compete against the likes of Tesla’s Model X in the electric SUV market. Jaguar has confirmed the model will be four-wheel drive and capable of an 80 per cent charge in just 45 minutes – although you will need a 100kW DC rapid charger. A total range of around 310 miles has also been promised.
The I-Pace concept first revealed at the LA Motor Show in 2016 was a thinly veiled glimpse at what we can expect to see in showrooms at the end of 2018.
Image 2 of 88
With Jaguar’s I-Type racing car contesting this season’s Formula E championship, the brand’s electric future is becoming clearer – especially with the promise of more hybrid and electric vehicles to follow the I-Pace to market in the coming years.
New 2018 Jaguar I-Pace: engine and performance
The claimed power output of the I-Pace is 395bhp, which when paired with 700Nm of torque from two electric motors, means the I-Pace will reach 0-62mph in four seconds.
Much of the car’s hardware is derived from the F-Pace SUV, including the double-wishbone front suspension and the compact Integral Link rear suspension. The lithium-ion batteries have been developed in-house and use pouch cells for their energy density and efficiency, and they sit low in the car to give the car a centre of gravity that’s 120mm lower than the F-Pace.
Image 6 of 88
Weight is an issue – the I-Pace is expected to weigh around 2,100kg – but straight-line performance won’t be, and Jaguar promises that the car will handle ‘as a Jaguar should’.
New 2018 Jaguar I-Pace: design and technology
At the reveal of the concept I-Pace at the Los Angeles Motor Show in 2016, Jaguar’s design chief Ian Callum hinted that the concept was around 80 per cent comparable to the production car. From our short test of the prototype can see that the overall profile of the I-Pace concept will transition almost seamlessly into production, while some styling elements will be toned down.
“Designers have been looking forward to electric cars for a long time,” Callum told us. “They give you permission to do things that you can’t do when you have an internal combustion engine.
Image 9 of 88
“We started off with a skateboard-like platform that enabled us to bring the cab forward in spite of it being an SUV. The wheelbase was decided by the number and size of the batteries that we needed to fit in between the axles.”
• Best electric cars to buy now
Like the bodywork, the basic power and performance figures should also remain largely unchanged and Jaguar has hinted that it’ll cost around 10-15 per cent more than an equivalent version of its F-Pace SUV, so expect a starting price around the £55,000-£60,000 mark. Jaguar is taking details from interested customers right now, ahead of the production model arriving.
In spite of the low front and short overhang, there’s a bold front grille framed by slim lights like on the F-Pace. “It’s important we establish the front as a Jaguar,” says Callum. “The headlights of today’s style have double J-blades – that’s something we’ll see more and more on Jaguars.”
Sweeping lines along the side and tapering waistline give the five-door SUV a coupé-like profile, leading to a sharply angled rear screen coated with a hydrophobic coating so there’s no need for a rear wiper.
Rear vents sit where tailpipes would usually be, but channel air from the rear wheelarches to reduce drag. LED tail lights follow the design theme established on the F-Type sports car, XE and XF models, but are squared off for a more technical look.
Jaguar I-Pace dimensions and boot space
So although the car is marginally smaller than the F-Pace (around 50mm shorter, 90mm lower and 40mm narrower) its wheelbase is 115mm longer meaning there’s more room inside. In fact, Jaguar says it’s got 10mm more kneeroom than a BMW 7 Series.
Image 31 of 88
The 530-litre boot is 120 litres smaller than the F-Pace’s, while there’s an additional 28 litres of space under the bonnet. However, clever use of the interior’s flat floor means there’s also space for eight litres of storage between the front seats.
Jaguar I-Pace cabin and interior tech
In spite of the temptations created by the electrical architecture, Callum says that you still have to have familiar hardware inside the car. But around the traditional driving position are three screens: a 12-inch HD screen to display instruments, another 12-inch touchscreen on the floating centre console and a smaller 5.5-inch touchscreen below. There are even tiny screens in the rotary controllers that sit further down that centre control module.
Image 35 of 88
There are plenty of delightful design details inside the I-Pace, with Jaguar’s bespoke lozenge pattern on everything from the leather seats to the speaker grilles, while laser-etched into the burr walnut dash are the words ‘Lovingly crafted by Jaguar. Est Coventry 1935’.
• Could you live with an electric car?
There’s also a British sense of humour to the Jaguar paw prints stitched into the seats, and the glove outline on the base of the glove box.
The production version of the Jaguar I-Pace is almost here. This is what we thought of the concept car…