JAGUAR F-TYPE
Waves bye-bye to suck, squeeze, bang, blow
IN A RADICAL move, Jaguar’s iconic two-door sports car will soon do without an engine.
A top-secret project currently underway at the brand’s design and engineering centre in Gaydon will see petrol engines dropped altogether for the radical allelectric F-type replacement due as early as 2021 or 2022.
Despite the lack of internal combustion, the futuristic Jaguar two-door sports car will be the fastest car ever to wear the leaper badge courtesy of electric motors and a bespoke new architecture tailored to take advantage of the design freedoms offered when a traditional drivetrain is not part of the equation.
The bold decision to drop petrol engines is in line with Jaguar Land Rover’s promise of ensuring every model features some form of electrification by 2020.
It’s that promise that also prompted the board-level decision to scrap traditional drivetrains altogether for a next-gen sports car, in the process sidestepping the halfway-house trend towards hybrid propulsion.
While JLR chief Ralf Speth has admitted internal combustion engines will be around for a long time yet, it’s understood he saw too many compromises in designing a compact sports car to accommodate bulky internal combustion engines as well as electric motors and batteries.
The move to target the heartland of Jaguar – sports cars – is also a bold step to separate Jaguar from its predominantly German competition by taking a leading position with a flagship EV performance car.
Jaguar already flagged its sports car intentions with a classic E-type engineered with electric motors and batteries.
Combined with the early-2017 17 announcement of the i-pace electric SUV, it was that electric c E-type that prompted a monthshslong Wheels investigation that unearthed the top-secret project. ct.
Sources closely aligned with h the program have confirmed the he company is deep in development ent of the all-electric F-type replacement, which could get a different name to signify its leap ap from tradition to cutting-edge EV technology.
The all-electric sports car is being developed alongside the i-pace (right), Jaguar’s all-electric ric SUV due on sale in 2018.
It uses two electric motors and a 90kwh lithium-ion battery pack ack that can reach 80 percent charge ge in 90 minutes. As with Teslas, acceleration will be a big part of