Jaguarβs first all-electric vehicle, the I-Pace, is slowly starting to make its way to some customers, and they are getting some real-world experience.
Now, the I-Pace received its official EPA range of 234 miles as questions regarding efficiency and rangeΒ are beginning to arise.
When first launching the vehicle earlier this year, the British automaker said that the 90 kWh battery will enable βan estimated range of 240 milesβ, but they clarified that it was not the official EPA estimate.
In Europe, the I-Pace was given an official WLTP rating of 292 miles.
While WLTP is more accurate than NEDC, itβs still hard for owners to achieve the official range in most EVs currently available.
In the case of the I-Pace, some owners have been getting close to the official range, but only by taking some pretty significant energy-saving measures.
It is reportedly easy to bring the range to about 230 miles, but it requires maintaining the speed below 60 mph (100 km/h), which is far from being convenient.
In the US, Jaguar has received an official EPA rating of 234 miles on a single charge, which EPA documents show the company requested to be lowered, and an efficiency of 76 MPGe.
Hereβs how the vehicle compares to the 2016 Model X 90D, which has the same energy capacity, and the newer Model X 75D and 100D, which many consider being the I-Paceβs closest all-electric competitor:
As you can see, the vehicle is significantly less efficient than the Model X despite being a little smaller than Teslaβs flagship SUV.
Venkat Viswanathan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, recently took a look at the I-Paceβs range and determined thatΒ βthe numbers donβt add up.β
He believes that it should be closer to a 74 kWh of useful capacity.
All automakers limit the full capacity of their battery packs to allow for some buffer for the longevity of the pack.
For example, Teslaβs battery packs with 75 kWh of total capacity have 72.6 kWh of usable capacity, based on the BMS of Tesla vehicles.
While Jaguar confirmed that it also employs a buffer, it denied that it is anything close to 20% of the pack as suggested byΒ Viswanathan:
βThe I-PACE has a nominal capacity of 90kWh and a useable capacity is 84.7kWh. Like the traction batteries in all electric vehicles and hybrids, the I-PACEβs pack cannot be charged to 100% or run down to a real 0% state of charge because this is detrimental to the cellβs state-of-health and therefore the battery packβs performance and durability. We manage the depth of energy discharge based on a great number of environmental and driver inputs, primarily to maintain cell state-of-health and consistent performance of the pack over its lifetime.β
Thereβs still no clear explanation on why the I-Pace appears to be less efficient than its counterparts aside from a slightly less aerodynamic shape.
Electrekβs Take
Iβd like to have more real-world data here. With the rollout being so slow, we also havenβt had the chance to test the I-Pace over long distances since our press trip last summer.
If you have an I-Pace and you have some good data on the range, please send it my way.
The truth is, anything over 200 miles is generally more than enough.
You shouldnβt have any range anxiety, butβ¦ range is actually not what removes range anxiety. Consistent and precise range information combined with access to charging infrastructure are what help overcome range anxiety.
Drivers need to be able to rely onΒ what the car is telling them in terms of remaining range. That way, you can alway be confident that you can get to a charge point when needed. I think thatβs the most important thing.
I look forward to be able to test the I-Pace over a longer period of time and be able to report back on this. Jaguar, what are you waiting for?
