After announcing plans to produce an all-electric version of the Jaguar E-type with I-Pace technology last year, Jaguar is now halting its plan for the electric E-type Zero.
Two years ago, Jaguar unveiled a classic E-type converted to electric propulsion.
The iconic vehicle was equipped with a 220 kW drivetrain and a 40 kWh battery that enables a “real world” range of 270 km (170 miles).
A year later, the British automaker announced plans to bring the vehicle to production as the “Jaguar E-type Zero” and use “many Jaguar I-PACE components” for the new EV conversion.
They planned to both sell it as a complete electric vehicle and offer the option for current classic E-type (1961-1975) owners to convert their car to electric through them with their own conversion kit:
Unfortunately, we now learn that they are halting the entire program.
Electrek obtained a letter that Paul Hegarty, a manager for Jaguar Land Rover Classic, has been sending to people who expressed interest in getting a Jaguar E-type Zero.
The manager wrote in the letter:
I am contacting you as you were one of the first to express interest in the all-electric Jaguar E-type Zero. It is with regret that I inform you that we have taken a difficult decision to pause the development of the production vehicle for the time being.
He didn’t give a clear reason for halting development:
While we look forward to bringing this innovative vehicle and technology to our customers in the future, for now we are focusing our resources on the nest generation of world-class Classic products and services.
While it’s apparently not completely dead, it doesn’t sound likely to ever see the light of day.
Electrek’s Take
This is a big bummer.
Like I said when it was first announced, I was extremely excited by this car, which I think is stunning, but I was also even more excited about this spurring a new trend of EV conversion direct-from-manufacturer.
We have seen other automakers talking about it since, and hopefully Jaguar will move forward despite what is happening with the Jaguar E-type Zero.
I think there will be a lot of demand for those. You can’t go wrong when combining nostalgia and electric powertrains.
