New Jaguar I-Pace’s battery electric vehicle technology at a glance

Jaguar Land Rover's new electric vehicle platform underpins the I-Pace Concept and has enabled designers and engineers to take a fresh approach
Matt Burt
15 November 2016

With some of the new Jaguar I-Pace Concept’s most interesting features lying beneath its surface, here’s an at-a-glance guide to the technology that makes up the new ‘skateboard’ chassis.

Read about the Jaguar I-Pace here

BATTERY PACK

The I-Pace Concept features a 90kWh battery comprising 36 modules which are enclosed within a structural aluminium housing.

Each module contains the latest lithium-ion pouch cells, which use nickel-cobalt-manganese chemistry. These cells were selected for their combination of high energy density and because they can maintain a higher current for longer, which means that the battery can deliver both driving range and sustained performance. Compared to some other cell types, they also offer considerable future development potential.

The battery pack is positioned as low down as possible and right between the axles, dropping the centre of gravity and enhancing vehicle agility.

Our Verdict

Jaguar F-Pace

Jaguar F-Pace 2.0d R-Sport 2016 road test review

Jaguar takes a typically sporting approach with the F-Pace, but it isn't quite enough to better its sibling, the Land Rover Discovery Sport

Find an Autocar car review

Driven this week

ELECTRIC MOTORS

The car features two efficient, synchronous permanent magnet motors arrange concentrically with a single-speed transmission to make them as compact as possible.

Jaguar’s engineers designed and developed the motors in-house to achieve the compact design, efficiency and power density they desired. The motors have an outer diameter of 234mm, are 500mm long and weigh about 38kg each.

Integrated into the front and rear axles, with the driveshafts passing through the centre of the motors in a space-efficient layout, the two electric motors deliver a total output of 397bhp and 516 lb ft. The torque is on tap immediately as the vehicle pulls way from a standstill.

The two motor set-up also enables the new Jaguar concept with four-wheel drive, and the set-up means effective torque shuffling between the axles is possible, making the car adaptive to varying road conditions.

Like other hybrid and electric vehicles, the I-Pace features regenerative braking, which slows the vehicle down and recharges the battery in the process. The driver can adjust the level of regenerative braking via a button within the transmission controls on the centre console.

BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The control system is fundamental to the I-Pace Concept’s performance and range by ensuring that the battery operates at optimum efficiency under all conditions.

A heat pump is an integral part of this system: by scavenging heat from the outside air to help warm the vehicle’s interior, the heat pump can deliver a double-digit increase in driving range - even in freezing winter conditions, when battery efficiency traditionally  suffers.

The pack is liquid-cooled using a dedicated two-mode cooling circuit. In moderate ambient temperatures the battery improves efficiency by relying only on a radiator to remove the heat generated by the cells.

At higher temperatures the chiller linked to the vehicle’s main air conditioning system provides greater cooling capacity to keep the battery in optimum condition.

Join the debate

Comments
9

xxxx

15 November 2016
When you see it like this you can imagine any body shell you want on top. You're not limited by where different size engines, gearbox, battery, air filters and intake, advanced cooling, exhausts, fuel tank, oil coolers, how close the front passenger seats can go up to bulkhead etc.

typos1 - Just can’t respect opinion

The Doctor

15 November 2016
"Hydrogen cars just went POP"

Ironic, given that the first car I can remember which used the idea of locating all the mechanicals in a "skateboard" was the hydrogen-powered GM Hy-wire.

xxxx

15 November 2016
The Doctor wrote:

"Hydrogen cars just went POP"

Ironic, given that the first car I can remember which used the idea of locating all the mechanicals in a "skateboard" was the hydrogen-powered GM Hy-wire.

Yep it's easy to dream ideas up it's another to put them into use.

typos1 - Just can’t respect opinion

wmb

15 November 2016
...impressive even! Just a little surprised that JLR would use a Jaguar CUV body style to demonstrate this concept and not a Land Rover. Secondly, even though JLR has made great advances in in quality control, it may still not be one of their strong suits (especially for Land Rover[maybe I just answered my first question]), so this is a lot of faith they are asking their potential buyers to put in them on really new and expensive tech, when they at times may not be the best at reliability. Even the biggest companies can have a bad day and I really want to see JLR succeed and this may be a game changer for them. Only time will tell!

FabiavRS635

15 November 2016
I really hope the regen button becomes a 180 degree knob you can just twist between zero and maximum regen, it would make toggling much safer and more intuitive.

Armchair Enthusiast

15 November 2016
So, where are the diffs. if the shaft goes through the motors?

ekranoplan

15 November 2016
xxxx time you POPPED off to see

riversimple dot com batteries hydrogen wrong question

hee hee!

But looks like this will be yet another behemoth EV SUV like the Model X. Weight? CdA? Plenty of particulate PM10 thrown up from the road surface when they move and a future full of SUV clogged up British roads!

bowsersheepdog

16 November 2016
A big bag of useless. Electric cars (and jeeps) are going nowhere.

I don't need to put my name here, it's on the left

 

ericmorton

5 January 2017
Day by day, we have found new modern features and technology in vehicles. It helps the user and offers a suitable user-friendly experience. Most probably due to lack of safety issues in the vehicles, drivers are facing different types of problems. But here in this article, we have found some essential points on vehicle features for better performance and modern equipment for safety concerns.

Add your comment

Log in or register to post comments

Find an Autocar car review

Driven this week