Jaguar and Formula E announced a new partnership today to launch a new all-electric race series to take place during the same race weekends as the Formula E championship.
The series will use theΒ I-Pace, Jaguarβs upcoming first all-electric vehicle.
Itβs called βThe Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY β and itβs designed as aΒ βArrive and Driveβ package offered for up to 20 drivers at each race, including a different VIP Driver at every venue.
For the first season starting next year, there will be 10 races taking place on the same weekends at the same city circuits as the Formula E races.
Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Formula E, said about the announcement:
βJaguar has been a welcome addition to Formula E and a fantastic advocate for electric street racing. Iβm delighted that in addition to the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team competing on the Formula E grid, we will be adding to our race day schedule with a competitive new support series for season five. The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will bring more entertainment for fans in-between sessions and will be a further testament to the advances in battery technology and exciting electric performance. I hope Jaguar will allow me to bring my race suit and helmetβ¦ and maybe get behind the wheel myself!β
Jaguar says that the championship will support the launch of the production version of the I-Pace, which is expected to next year,
As we previously reported, the I-PACE is a sport SUV equipped with a 90 kWh battery pack with a range of βover 500 kmβ NEDC-rated. Interestingly, the automaker has now confirmed βa targeted range of approximately 220 miles on EPA test cyclesβ.
They released a few images of the race version of the I-Pace:
Electrekβs Take
We are already pretty excited about the I-Pace as Jaguarβs first entry the all-electric vehicle market. The vehicle has already been praised for its design and its specs should make it a solid entry in the sport SUV segment.
The new race series should be an interesting way to showcase the vehicle.
Formula E had great success, but the fact that drivers need to change their cars during the race did little to dispel EV-related issues like range anxiety.
Jaguar plans for the races to last only 30 minutes so it shouldnβt be an issue for them and theyΒ can get away with if itβs not the main event.
Interestingly, Jaguar seems to have beaten Electric GT to the punch. The race series hoped to be the first all-electric race championship with production electric cars β using the Tesla Model S P100D, which is dubbed the βquickest production car in the world.β
They were supposed to launch this year, but we havenβt heard much about them since they crashed their test car.
Instead, it looks Jaguar will have the latest new entry in the electric motorsport world as they claim that they will be βthe worldβs first all-electric international race series for production-based cars.β
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
