I-Pace MY21 | Vanquish competition with Formula E genes
Last week, team Car Journalism joined Jaguar's 'Race to Innovate' webinar to obtain some information about the link between FIA Formula E and the Jaguar I-Pace. Is 'race on sunday, sell on monday', still relevant in the EV market?
The Jaguar I-Pace has been among us for only two years now, but soon Jaguar will release the updated I-Pace MY21. The update should push the sell-by date a little in to the future, since the market seems flooded with electric SUV's these days. It's rivals leave no room for error anymore.
The update includes a new infotainment system, faster charging and a state of the art air filtration system that filters out particulate matter 2.5 pollution. The update doesn't radically change the exterior.
Pivo Pro-infotainment
The I-Pace MY21 features Pivo Pro-infotainment. Jaguar claims it's as user friendly as your smartphone. The system is integrated with the rest of the car in a way that it actively informs the driver where the closest charging point is located and what the predicted costs and charging time will be.
Furthermore, to keep up with its competitors, the I-Pace MY21 can be equipped with an all new 3D camera system and a digital ClearSight rear view mirror. Added to that list is 4G-data connection, a dual sim port and improved wireless phone charging.
Faster charging
Home charging times will be reduced by the 11 kW wallbox that enables 3-phase AC charging. Within an hour of home charging an added range of 53 kms (WLTP) will be added. The I-Pace MY21's fast charging capabilities effectuate an added range of 120 kms in 15 minutes. The range on a full battery is 470 kms, just short of 300 miles.
Race to innovate
Jaguar claims the I-Pace MY21 is able to cope with the competition by the research that can be done in Formula E and Jaguar's eTrophy. We asked Jaguar engineer Steve Boulter what kind of innovations that are not performance related have their roots in electric motorsports. He answered: "The key factor of winning is down to drive train efficiency. High rate of return, fast charging and lighter batteries make it into our production cars."
Future of the I-Pace
Jaguar showcases its top tech in the I-Pace. Since increasingly more cars in the market are available as their electric equivalent, the I-Pace as stand alone EV might not be necessary in the future. However, with this update, the I-Pace is covered for the coming next years. We'd love to find out what it's like in the near future.