Surprising Lessons From Jaguar I-Pace App

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Jaguar has a new smartphone app for its I-Pace electric SUV, which is designed to help owners get comfortable with the idea of owning an electric car. First it determines how far each owner drives every day and then calculates the cost of operation for the I-Pace over that distance. It also shows how much battery capacity is used on each trip and how often an I-Pace would have to charge to meet the owner’s driving requirements.

Jaguar smartphone app
Credit: Jaguar

To date, Jaguar has accumulated data for 35,000 journeys by I-Pace drivers and finds the average user racks up 216 miles per week. The average journey is around 8.5 miles. As a result, Jaguar says 87% of British drivers could manage their entire weekly mileage with a maximum of two full charges of an I-Pace, while just over half of them would only need to charge once every seven days, according to a report by Motor 1.

As a result, Jaguar claims the I-Pace would be “cost-effective” for customers, particularly those with an approved 7kW AC home charger, which would be capable of replenishing the battery to an 80% state of charge in 10 hours. With a smart charger, owners could schedule charging to occur during times when utility rates are lowest.

Joanna Hewitt, a member of Jaguar Land Rover’s digital innovations team, says the app will show drivers the advantages of going electric by driving an I-Pace. “The Go I-Pace app was designed to demonstrate how EV ownership can benefit drivers, particularly in understanding journey impact on range and how often they would need to plug in,” she says. “Looking at the data we have had so far it is clear to see that not only is I-Pace ownership cost effective, it is extremely convenient too.”

Jaguar online tool
Credit: Jaguar

Jaguar has also launched an online tool that shows drivers how the range of an I-Pace is affected by optional extras and external conditions. The range calculator takes into consideration air temperature, wheel size, and what options are installed on the car to reveal their impact on the stated 292 mile range of the I-Pace.

The calculator shows that maximum range can be achieved on 18-inch alloy wheels during urban driving, with an average speed of around 17 mph and an external temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. Assuming those conditions remain unchanged, the calculator shows that simply switching the air conditioning on will reduce the range by 32 miles.

Some of the news isn’t so good. Efficiency is the true measure of an electric vehicle and the I-Pace (and many other new SUVs, like the Audi e-tron) suffers in terms of efficiency when compared to the vehicles manufactured by Tesla. For instance, the calculator says driving in temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius on the motorway using the heater and riding on 22-inch alloy wheels will see the range plummet to 121 miles — less than half of the car’s nominal range.

We all know our cars get worse gas mileage in the winter and on the highway, but electric cars — at least most of the current crop available in world markets — are affected by those conditions more than people are accustomed to. The new Jaguar app and digital assistant are welcome additions but demonstrate that Jaguar — and most other electric car makers — have work yet to do before their products are as compelling as those offered by Tesla.


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Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." You can follow him on Substack and LinkedIn but not on Fakebook or any social media platforms controlled by narcissistic yahoos.

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