Jaguar and Google have announced a partnership to put a modified I-Pace electric SUV on Dublin's roads, not merely to go around shooting images for Google Street View (although it will do that) but also to monitor the air quality in the capital.
Google's first electric Street View car
Jaguar has actually been working with Google for some time already, supplying I-Paces to Google's Waymo autonomous car division for testing, but this is the first material sign of the collaboration on Irish roads, and Jaguar says that the I-Pace is the first time that Google has used a fully-electric vehicle for Street View photography.
Thanks to the addition of some extra monitoring equipment, the I-Pace will also be used to measure street-by-street air quality in Dublin including nitrogen dioxide (NO2 - a group of gases that includes the harmful NOX produced largely by diesel vehicles) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, as well as fine particles (PM2.5 - mostly soot, and again a lot of which comes from diesel exhausts).
Custom roof mount
The I-Pace gets a specially-designed roof mount for both the air quality sensors and the Google Street View camera, and there are more modifications inside, including a new rear glass screen, altered wiring, and extra interior controls.
Elena Allen, Project Manager for Business Development at Jaguar Land Rover said: "The integration of Google Street View technology with the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace is the perfect solution for measuring air quality. We are delighted to support this project as it aligns with our own journey to becoming an electric-first business and achieving net zero carbon by 2039. Partnerships like this are one of the ways we can achieve our sustainability goals and make a positive impact on society."
Study of air quality
Google has partnered with Dublin City Council, as part of its Environmental Insights Explorer's air quality programme to map hyperlocal air quality insights for cities to take action on their climate and health. Google and Dublin City Council hope access to this data will help scientists, researchers and policymakers as they study air quality, as well as encourage people to make small but informed daily changes to help improve it.
Paddy Flynn, Vice President of Geo Operations at Google, said: "Air quality is a serious concern, especially for cities, but there is a gap in terms of localised data and insights available to both decision-makers and citizens. As part of this project, we're using technology to capture this important data and make it accessible so that together with Dublin City Council, we can drive solution planning."