Jaguar Unveils I-Pace Electric SUV Concept; Launch In 2018

The concept car has a range of around 500km

Back in February this year, Jaguar filed patents for the names ‘I-Pace’ and ‘I-Type’, indicating that the British automaker was developing a range of all-electric cars. The I-Pace has now been brought to life in the form of a concept zero-emission SUV, with its design inspiration taken from the F-Pace.

With this e-crossover, Jaguar is looking to offer sports car-like performance, combined with the look of an SUV and the practicality of a 5-seater family car. It features one permanent magnet electric motor each, on the front and rear axles, which develop 200PS and 350Nm individually. The combined power output stands at 400PS and a monstrous 700Nm of torque, sent to all four wheels through a single-speed transmission.

0-100kmph comes up in around 4 seconds and importantly, the I-Pace can manage a claimed travel-range of around 500km on a full charge. The 90kWh lithium-ion battery pack can be charged up to 80 per cent in 1.5 hours and 100 per cent in just over two hours using 50kW DC charging.

The battery pack is liquid-cooled and is positioned flat and low down, dropping the centre of gravity and enabling a flat floor for increased cabin space too. It’s a practical arrangement as well with several storage options on offer:

• Since there’s no internal combustion engine under the bonnet, the concept car features a front luggage compartment.
• With no transmission tunnel, the floating centre console gets an 8-litre storage compartment, plus additional space for knick-knacks.
• Additional stowage spaces are located under the rear seats.
• The boot space is a generous 530-litres.

Highlights of the cabin include a 12-inch high-res driver display which replaces the conventional dials, a 3-spoke multi-function steering wheel, a central touchscreen infotainment system, multi-zone climate control and button to shuffle through the transmission modes, instead of the traditional lever.

The I-Pace measures 4,680mm in length, making it shorter than the F-Pace. Apart from the extensive use of LED lights on the outside, the concept also gets massive 23-inch ‘Nighthawk’ wheels, though we don’t realistically expect these to make it to the production version.

While the I-Pace is a concept, it previews a production car that will be launched in 2018. When introduced it will take on the Tesla Model X.