A longtime friend of mine with rooftop solar panels took a test drive of my humble 2015 Nissan LEAF the other day. He and his wife drive a nice SUV hybrid and once owned a Jaguar. After some nice comments about the LEAF, he and his wife decided that absolutely his next vehicle will be all electric. I encouraged him to test drive some Tesla options (explaining the value, quality, autonomous safety, minimalistic style, and top-of-the-line technology.) As his hybrid is in very good shape, he did not seem in a hurry. He responded that by the time he made the switch to all-electric, there will be many choices as good as a Tesla and his interest may lie elsewhere. Perhaps this vehicle below might interest him, being a one-time Jaguar owner.
A most needed new leg of Jaguar appeal is moving forward, highlighted via an electric road trip. The Jaguar I-PACE was recently being tested in Los Angeles ahead of its coming 2018 production and sales. It’s Jaguar’s first pure battery-electric option.
Jaguar: “One year after its first showing at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Jaguar I-PACE Concept returned to the city as a production prototype for its final range and durability tests ahead of its global reveal and start of sale in 2018.”
Jumping right into a consumer pressure point, Jaguar added the following anecdote. “Ann Voyer from Pasadena, Calif., asked Jaguar if the I-PACE would have enough range to complete her favorite road trip along California’s West Coast. To answer her question, Jaguar engineers took her on a long-distance range test – on one charge only. The I-PACE production prototype drove 200 miles from Los Angeles’ Sunset Boulevard to Central California’s Morro Bay on a single charge of its advanced Lithium-Ion battery.” So, that’s a yes.
Ann seems to thoroughly enjoy the road trip (video above) remarking. “It’s nice to not have to trade off considering the environment and wanting an electric car but also being able to benefit from the luxury of a Jaguar car and interior — you know, I think that’s very appealing.”
It seems there are people who indeed are waiting on the electric version of their longtime favorite motor car. Jaguar continues: “Thousands of potential customers around the world have pressed the ‘I want one’ button on www.jaguar.com to register their interest for the hotly anticipated electric SUV. Not only will these customers be at the front of the queue when order books officially open globally in March, but a lucky few have been chosen to accompany Jaguar’s engineers as prototype vehicles complete final validation tests.”
Apparently, that’s what was going on in Ann Voyer in the story above.
Ian Hoban, Jaguar Vehicle Line Director, added: “After 1.5 million global test miles, the I-PACE is ready for production and is proven to deliver long distances on a single charge. Jaguar’s first battery electric vehicle will also be fast to charge; our target is a zero to 80 percent charge being achievable in a short break.”
The production version of the Jaguar I-PACE and official start of ordering will come along in early 2018. Get ready.
CleanTechnica has done a bit of research on EV drivers and solar panels, finding that 28–40% of EV drivers have solar panels — as seen in the chart below. Here is one more likely addition to the crew — whereas he has had his house covered in solar panels for 20 years and is driving a hybrid SUV, perhaps he was just waiting for the Jaguar seen above.
Related Stories:
Jaguar Land Rover Now Testing Self-Driving Vehicles On Public Roads In UK
UK’s Connected Energy & Jaguar Land Rover Collaborating On Second-Life EV Battery Research Project
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