Upgraded Jaguar I-Pace can charge 50% faster at home
When the Jaguar I-Pace was introduced two years ago, it got criticised for its mediocre charging performance. The premium crossover had to make do with a single-phase AC onboard charger, which limited its capacity to 7kW. Today, JLR announces great news: like its competitor, the Audi e-tron, the revamped I-Pace gets an 11 kW three-phase charger.
When connected to an 11kW wall box 53km/33 miles of range (WLTP) per hour can now be achieved, while a full charge from empty now takes only 8.6 hours – ideal for overnight charging at home and 50% faster than with a single-phase 7kW outlet.
Better connected, easier to use
Another upgrade is to be found in the interior: this is the first Jaguar to feature the new Pivi Pro infotainment system. As intuitive to use as a smartphone, Pivi Pro is fast and responsive with enhanced EV navigation that can show you if nearby charging stations are available or in use, what they cost, and how long it will take to charge (market-dependent).
The new and intuitive flat menu structure makes navigating the system easy with the features and functions you use regularly accessible via the home screen with just a click. The redesigned navigation system reduces the number of steps required to set a destination by half and customers are now able to pan and zoom in and out of the map with a pinch of the fingers, just as with a smartphone.
The 12.3-inch HD instrument cluster now features completely revised graphics to give an even clearer indication of battery state of charge, while changes to the predictive range calculation algorithm will deliver a more accurate and consistent estimate of vehicle range, while being more reflective of an individual’s driving style.
You can now charge your smartphone on an optional wireless charging pad beneath the ‘floating’ centre console as well. Finally, customers need no longer be concerned about data usage or buying a SIM, as the I-PACE comes with a dual modem embedded SIM (eSIM) and complimentary 4G data plan which enables unlimited music streaming via Spotify, Deezer or Tunin and map, weather, calendar and traffic updates simultaneously.
Moreover, maps will always be up to date thanks to software-over-the-air (SOTA) functionality.
Wireless charging in Oslo
It might take a while before I-Pace owners can charge their car through induction, but JLR has agreed to support the City of Oslo with the world's first high-powered wireless taxis.
In a programme known as ‘ElectriCity’, the global vehicle manufacturer will join Nordic taxi operator Cabonline (NorgesTaxi AS), the region’s largest charge point operator Fortum Recharge, US technology developer Momentum Dynamics and the City of Oslo to build wireless, high-powered charging infrastructure for taxis in the Norwegian capital.
The project will be the first wireless high-powered charging system for electric taxis in the world and by providing a charging infrastructure model that can be implemented almost anywhere, it will help the rapid adoption of electric vehicles globally.
Fortum Recharge, who will be supporting the installation and electrification of the project, identified the need for a more efficient charging experience for taxi drivers in Oslo and enlisted the support of Momentum Dynamics in integrating the wireless charging infrastructure.
Jaguar Land Rover will provide 25 Jaguar I-PACE models to Cabonline, the largest taxi network in the Nordics. The brand’s performance SUV has been designed to enable Momentum Dynamic’s wireless charging technology, making it the ideal vehicle to drive the initiative. A team of engineers and technicians from both Momentum Dynamics and Jaguar Land Rover were engaged to help in testing the solution, and Cabonline signed up to operate the fleet as part of Oslo’s ElectriCity programme.
Photo credit: JLR, 2020
