An Announcement of a surprise partnership with Waymo accelerates Jaguars need to show off the new i-Pace
Introducing the world’s first premium electric self-driving vehicle – the Waymo @Jaguar Self-Driving I-PACE. pic.twitter.com/BKhofAAahV
— Waymo (@Waymo) March 27, 2018
In October of 2001, Steve Jobbs and his team coined to i suffix to name something that was a technical break through or went on to be a brand name with the launch of the first iPod. Jaguar, hoping to appeal to wider audience than geeks and greenies have gone along with BMW’s i3 and named their new electric car i-Pace.
Jaguar chose New Jersey to show off their new baby.
The battery and drivetrain surprised no one. The battery pack is 90 killowat, liquid cooled and is stored under the floor. The motors are twin 147kw, one front one rear. As with most technology, the breakthrough comes and is in turn followed by years of refinement and small percentage improvements. The i-Pace is a perfect example. The i-Pace is slightly longer than its sibling the Jaguar XE but thanks to the battery pack, is all but the same weight as a Range Rover.
Jaguar have replaced the usual rotary drive selector with three separate buttons for drive, reverse and park. They sit below a touch screen for the climate and entertainment system. The i-Pace is quick, make no mistake. Instant power and 512 pound-feet of torque see to that. Prodigious grip from front and rear drive don’t want to break traction and are really well controlled. Air suspension controls any expected body roll, a system taken straight from the Range Rover.
Jaguar Land Rover last week announced a joint venture that will see it selling Google’s autonomous-car technology with up to 20,000 units being planned.
Following as it did, the Uber fatal incident, both Waymo and Jaguar claim absolute confidence in their own product.
