Jaguar Land Rover was a relatively late arrival to the luxury electric-car game, revealing its plans in the form of a concept car only at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show.
But it’s now planning the launch of what will likely be the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover just four weeks hence.
What is likely to be sold as the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace will be unveiled in its final production trim on Thursday, March 1.
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That’s a few days before the opening of the Geneva auto show, where the I-Pace electric SUV will make its formal debut to the public at large.
The news came by way of yet another JLR teaser video, this one showing the by-now-familiar camouflaged I-Pace prototype in wintry conditions at a test site in Arjeplog, Sweden.
Prospective Swedish I-Pace buyer Tony Westerlund got a chance to take the prototype I-Pace out for some long spells of drifting on a frozen lake, as well as driving it along remarkably scenic snowy roads.
Jaguar I-Pace prototype
Unlike the Audi e-tron electric SUV, also expected to be formally launched at Geneva, the I-Pace designers have used its dedicated electric architecture to lengthen the cabin and shorten the nose.
That lets the first-ever electric Jaguar sit on the footprint of a compact crossover, the company has said, but offer cabin volume closer to that of a mid-size SUV—though it won’t have a third-row seat.
A 90-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack under the I-Pace cabin floor is expected to deliver a rated range of 220 miles or thereabouts.
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The electric crossover is powered by a pair of electric motors, one per axle, that add up to a total of 300 kilowatts (400 horsepower) and 516 pound-feet of torque.
Acceleration from 0 to 60 mph, Jaguar says, will be in the 4.0-second range.
No word thus far on a high-end, hot-rod “R” or SVR version, as Jaguar offers for other vehicles in its lineup—though we wouldn’t be surprised if one emerges in due course to counter the Tesla Model X P100D.
Jaguar I-Pace prototypeJaguar I-Pace undergoes final validation testing in Los AngelesJaguar I-Pace undergoes final validation testing in Los Angeles
Winter-weather besting is particularly important for battery-electric vehicles because cold temperatures can substantially limit the battery’s ability to deliver power.
Temperatures at the Swedish test site reached as low as -40 deg F.
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Jaguar says the preconditioning system built into the I-Pace will keep the battery capable of delivering maximum range, performance, and cabin comfort in both very hot and very cold temperatures.
That system requires the electric Jaguar to stay plugged in while parked, though we suspect the company has spent a fair bit of time testing how the battery holds up after multi-day “cold soak” periods at those temperatures.
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