Electric Revolution: Jaguar Land Rover Will Not Drop Diesel
The use of electric energy sources to power vehicles will not stop Jaguar Land Rover from using diesel to fuel some of its vehicles. According to Nigel Clarke, Sales Director, Jaguar Land Rover subSahara Africa, “Some 40% of Range Rover buyers across the globe choose diesel which is why CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Dr. Ralf Speth, has said: “We have no plans to drop diesel. It will be one of several solutions.”
Given that diesel also powers a significant proportion of Jaguar output, you can be sure that the company’s engineers will be working at pace to make diesels cleaner and cleaner, Clarke said.
“In recent times, I have expended quite a lot of my own energy resources on the subject of future energy sources likely to power our transport, be it public or private. It does not take an expert to identify that the electric motor is destined to eat away at the dominance of the combustion engine, and as I’ve been happy to report, Jaguar Land Rover is very much in the vanguard in terms of model introductions and on-going development. Back on home territory in the UK though, the company currently faces uncertainties of the political type, and one word dominates the undercurrent: Brexit.”
Clarke quoted the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Dr. Ralf Speth, who said, “Of course Brexit is causing uncertainties in the UK, but free and fair trade helps all nations.”
Terms of trade have much to do with the location of manufacturing plants and in this regard, the parent company has been spreading its wings to ensure that customers benefit as far as possible from production and fiscal efficiencies, said the Sales Director, Jaguar Land Rover sub-Sahara Africa.
“These diversions have not been allowed to distract Jaguar Land Rover from the job at hand as continued investment in R & D proves and while the need to “go electric” is indisputable, Jaguar Land Rover will not be ditching diesel any time soon, which should be good news for many of our customers in the region.”
He said in the meantime, the much-lauded electric I-PACE with its encouraging 470km range, is earmarked for the South African market in the first quarter of 2019. “Plans are well advanced to ensure that a support infrastructure is in place to facilitate charging on the move, an issue which needs close attention in the sub-Sahara Africa region in the very near future.