Jaguar has announced a series of technology and charging upgrades for its I-Pace all-electric car.
Faster charging at home and on the go
The most important update, for most customers, will be the ability to charge more quickly. Jaguar has updated the I-Pace's on-board charging system (the part of the car that regulates how much juice it can take in at any one time) from a 7.4kW charger to an 11kW charger. If you can install an 11kW wall-box charger at home, that means you can now add as much as 53km of extra range for each hour the I-Pace is connected to the charger. An empty-to-full charge on such a connection now takes 8.6 hours, significantly faster than previously possible.
It's also faster if you're still using a 7.4kW home charger. Each hour on charge now adds 35km of additional range, while an empty-to-full charge now takes 12.75 hours. The I-Pace will also now charge more quickly from a public charging point. Hook it up to a 50kW charger (that's the power of the current ESB rapid chargers) and you'll add 62km for each 15 minutes of charging time. Connect to a more robust 100kW charger and you can add a whopping 125km every 15 minutes.
Faster, smarter infotainment system
Jaguar has also given the I-Pace's infotainment system a significant boost with the new 'Pivi Pro' setup. The cabin retains its existing three-screen layout - a big 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, a ten-inch main infotainment screen, and a smaller, lower, five-inch screen which mostly deals with heating and air conditioning.
The Pivi Pro system works behind all that and uses a much faster processor so that it's 'instant on' once you're in the driving seat. Navigation initialisation takes just a few seconds, and there's a new, simpler, menu structure. The redesigned navigation system reduces the number of steps required to set a destination by half and customers are now able to pan and zoom in and out of the map with a pinch of the fingers, just as with a smartphone.
You'll also be able to automatically add charging stations to your route, if needed. The system will select the optimum chargers to minimise total journey time. On long drives, Pivi Pro can also show you the predicted charge level on arrival at each waypoint.
There's also a new 3D surround-view parking camera system, and the I-Pace also gets Jaguar's new ClearSight electronic rear-view mirror, which can switch between a conventional mirror and a digital screen, fed from a rear-mounted camera, that means you can see behind you even when the back seats are full or the boot is loaded to the roof.
Stephen Boulter, Vehicle Engineering Manager, Jaguar I-Pace, said: "The Pivi Pro infotainment system makes it easy to use public charging networks. As well as showing where charging stations are it can also tell you if they're available, what they cost to use, and an estimate of charging time. We know that most customers charge their I-Pace at home but we wanted to make charging on the go just as simple - and our new infotainment system makes that possible."
Cabin air filtering
There's also a new air filtration system (doubtless inspired by Tesla's 'BioWeapon' mode) with cabin air ionisation now featuring PM2.5 filtration to capture ultrafine airborne particles and allergens. The I-Pace can even filter its cabin air before a journey begins.
Alan Volkaerts, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar I-Pace, said: "When we developed the I-Pace we wanted it to be the world's most desirable electric vehicle and to show what happens when Jaguar goes electric. I think we've achieved those ambitious goals, and now we've made it even better with a new infotainment system, three-phase charging and technology that benefits driver and passengers alike. We've also subtly enhanced the design with an Atlas Grey finish to the grille mesh and with the new Bright Pack option. I-Pace was the first premium all-electric performance SUV: every change we've made ensures that it's still the benchmark in its class."