Power play
Battle royale pits Jaguar’s battery-powered SUV against Hyundai propelled by hydrogen fuel cell
Welcome to the main event. Introducing first, in the BEV corner, weighing in at 2,170 kilograms and hailing from Graz, Austria, the current AJAC Vehicle of the Year — the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace. In the fuel-cell corner, weighing in at 1,873 kg, all the way from South Korea and incorporating a distinctively unorthodox means of propulsion — the 2019 Hyundai Nexo. This comparison is both apples to apples and apples to oranges. Both the $89,800 Jaguar I-Pace and $73,000 Hyundai Nexo are zero-emission SUVs that derive all their power from onboard electricity. However, the I-Pace’s battery pack stores electricity derived from plugging into an external power source, while the Nexo mixes hydrogen gas from its storage tank with oxygen from the atmosphere to produce an electric current, resulting in an electricity-on-demand system.
For the moment, we’ll focus on just the apples, starting with looks. Both vehicles have a number of forward-thinking design features, including flush door handles, state-of-the-art headlights and tail lights, funky aerodynamic wheels and slippery surfaces. The Nexo has a unique jewel-like bar running along the top of its grille, while the I-Pace features a front air dam that pushes oncoming air under the front of the hood then out through a large gap to run over the windshield. The Nexo has a far more traditional SUV look, while the I-Pace captures more of the futuristic performance-pod esthetic. Judge’s scorecard on exterior: I-Pace.
Those differing exterior designs translate into much different interiors. The I-Pace’s cabin feels not unlike a sports coupe with a distinctive driver-centric cockpit, while the Nexo’s is airy and full of light and space. The Jag’s controls and gauges don’t veer far from its gas-powered stablemates, which isn’t a bad thing because the current generation of Jaguar interiors is top notch. The Nexo’s dashboard and centre console, on the other hand, resemble nothing in the current Hyundai lineup. That’s also not a bad thing because the design is fantastic — super clean and super intuitive.
Both vehicles have large and easy-to-read horizontal display screens that can be formatted to display more than one feature. The Nexo’s traditional SUV look pays dividends in rear-seat space and in rear cargo capacity, though. Judge’s scorecard on interior: Nexo.
Nexo has an industry first blind-spot monitor that uses the wide-angle, surround-view cameras to show the blind spot on the instrument cluster screen while changing lanes in either direction. The I-Pace’s neat tech is a Range Impact screen that shows in real time the impact of using the heated seats, headlights and A/C on the vehicle’s range. Judge’s cool tech decision: Nexo.
The funny thing about comparing EV performance and handling is that, unlike gas-powered vehicles, for the most part EVs feel sort of the same. But while the all-wheel-drive Jag has an EVlike zero-to-96 km/h time of 4.5 seconds, the front-wheel-drive Nexo has difficulty breaking the 10-second mark.
The Jag’s steering is firm and somewhat heavy — though it lightens up a little at speed — but it still conveys a direct connection to the pavement in keeping with its sport-performance lineage. The Nexo’s is middle-of-the-road light, but not washy. What I did like about the Nexo over the Jag was the ability to control the regenerative braking levels with the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Judge’s drivability decision: I-Pace.
Which brings us to the apples-to-oranges comparison: the full-tank range of the Nexo is a very impressive 595 km when compared to the I-Pace’s fullcharge range of 377 km. Likewise, the Nexo’s fuel-cell technology is much more comfortable in cold and hot climates than the I-Pace’s lithium-ion batteries. Then there’s refuelling/recharging: I put just under half a tank of hydrogen gas in the Nexo and it took about three minutes (1.6 kilograms at $12.75/kg). The I-Pace charging times range from a minimum of 40 minutes (DC charge, zero to 80 per cent) to 12.9 hours (AC charge, zero to 100 per cent).
Clearly the Nexo outperforms the I-Pace in terms of delivering more zero-emission range, a much quicker fuelling/recharging time and a better powertrain platform for Canada’s wide range of temperatures. All of which would seem to give the Nexo the final decision over the I-Pace — until you consider fuelling infrastructure.
Infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles is all but non-existent in Canada, but EV charging stations are abundant. And, of course, you can charge overnight at home.
Judge’s final decision: By way of technical knockout, the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace defeats the 2019 Hyundai Nexo.