That was unexpected.
British luxury carmaker Jaguar continues its EV charge, announcing this week that it will be holding its own racing series, dubbed the ‘Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy.’ Though it might sound like a medical condition, the eTrophy series will run alongside the FIA Formula E championship races beginning at the end of 2018, and will act as a support event, using specially kitted-out models based on production Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs.
According to the announcement, 20 I-Pace SUVs will duke it out over 10 events, to take place in packed cities like Hong Kong, New York, Sao Paolo and Paris, and marks the very first production battery-electric vehicle championship in the world. This is news celebrated by Jaguar, a company that holds its strong racing pedigree very close to its heart.
“As a British racing team, we are proud to announce today the launch of the worlds’ first production battery-electric vehicle championship. With the launch of the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy we have strengthened our commitment to battery electric vehicles, international motorsports, and Formula E.” — Gerd Mäuser, Chairman, Jaguar Racing
As the marque’s first battery-electric vehicle, the I-Pace is a truly impressive machine to behold. When previewed in concept form last year, the SUV featured just under 300kW and a monstrous 700Nm, able to rocket the car from rest to 100km/h in around 4-seconds. In production form, it’s touted that the car will offer a usable driving range of roughly 500km via the two motors that power all four wheels, though we’d like to see these race cars try.
Going from road to track, competition-spec I-Pace models will see fitment of things like lower, stiffer suspension, a ton of aerodynamic addenda, and some racing-spec tyres. We can’t say much else as Jaguar has not released detailed technical specifications for these racers (or the production model they’re based on, either), though we’re told that all will be revealed come 2018.
The twenty vehicles that will be built for the series by Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations will be offered on an arrive-and-drive basis, with one set aside for a VIP driver at every race venue. Typically, eTrophy races will consist of a free practice and qualifying session during the Formula E weekend, followed by a 30-minute race ahead of the big event.
You can read our report on the achingly-pretty I-Pace here.
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