Daily Mail

Motoring:

- BY RAY MASSEY MOTORING EDITOR

This week i was taken for a spin in the new fully electric version of Jaguar’s e-Type sports car as it set out its ‘ green’ high-tech plans to electrify every new model in its range from 2020.

The British car firm has taken a 1968 version of its elegant roadster and given it an automotive heart transplant — removing its petrol engine and replacing it with a zero emissions electric motor and plug- in battery. Jaguar will charge you £350,000 for the privilege.

As the first journalist to experience the car as a passenger, i can tell you the effect is delightful but strange as the revamped soft-top classic runs in almost total silence. it will accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds — about a second faster than the petrol version — with a top speed of 150 mph and a ‘ real world’ range of about 170 miles though that could increase to just over 200 miles.

it can be fully charged at home overnight in about six to seven hours. The e-Type Zero is one of three battery- powered cars Jaguar is showcasing at its Tech Fest event in London.

if you want to see where cars and personal mobility are heading, it’s all there. As well as the e-Type Zero, visitors can view the new electric i-Pace, which goes on sale next year.

And there’s a glimpse to the year 2040 with the Future-Type when an electric, self-driving car — with manual override — becomes a reality.

JLR chief executive Dr Ralf, speth who opened the event, says the UK and the world is on the brink of a ‘mobility revolution’ which will transform our lives profoundly’. But he fears the UK Government is too slow at providing sufficient public charging points, power stations and 5G wi-fi. ‘in this new mobility revolution, if there is not nimbleness in response, the danger of failure is too harsh to contemplat­e,’ he said.

THE JLR Tech Fest is at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London and open to the public until Sunday, September 10. Go to jaguarland­rover.com and click on ‘tech and innovation’.

 ??  ?? Admirer: Ray Massey enjoying his exclusive ride in the fully electric E-Type Zero
Admirer: Ray Massey enjoying his exclusive ride in the fully electric E-Type Zero
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