Jaguar launches electric I-pace
696Nm of torque, with the maximum available at zero rpm.
The I-pace proved it could handle any terrain in Gauteng, both on- and off-road, including crossing the Jukskei River with ease. I took the vehicle through a 4x4 course, located within Jaguar Land Rover’s new experience centre in Lonehill, and, as impressive as its capabilities were, I felt this isn’t a car I would want to take off-road. It is more suited for commuting in Johannesburg’s daily traffic.
Alongside the electric SUV, Jaguar has also launched its R30-million rapid public charging network across the country, in partnership with Gridcars, which is open to all EVS in South Africa.
The rollout includes 82 public charging stations nationwide, of which 52 will form part of the “Jaguar Powerway” that will enable longdistance travel on the N1, N2 and N3 without having to worry about a flat battery.
The intercity network and public charging stations at dealerships and shopping centres will have combination AC/DC chargers at major hubs in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London and Bloemfontein.
Jaguar’s 82 public charging stations puts it in the lead when it comes to local infrastructure rollout. Since its i3 launch in 2015, BMW is sitting at a total of 57 charging stations at dealerships in the country, five of which are DC chargers.
An AC charger (22kw) will take an I-pace from 0-80% in two-and-a-half hours, and a DC charger (60kw) is capable of doing the same in 72 minutes. Home chargers (7.4kw) are available separately for R30 000, and require just under 13 hours to deliver a full charge, typically overnight.
All Jaguar customers will be provided with an RFID charging card that is required to activate and end a charging session, thus making it tamper-proof. The company will also cover 25% of its customer’s total charging costs.
Dr Martyn Davies, managing director of emerging markets and Africa at Deloitte, says that Jaguar’s roll-out of infrastructure is an interesting development from a single private original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the absence of state-installed infrastructure. “The challenge is to increase its utilisation by introducing mass market vehicles that are more affordable for consumers.”
For the successful adoption of EVS, a new, coordinated, supportive ecosystem is required, says Davies. “This needs charging infrastructure, government subsidies of purchases, environmental compliance regulations, CBD congestion charging (with EVS enjoying no charge) and a reliable power supply.
“Naturally, BMW, Nissan, and now Jaguar would like to see the 25% import duties on electric cars reduced, and replaced with subsidies favouring EV purchases,” continues Davies.
“South Africa is out of kilter with other countries in incentivising buyers of EV vehicles. Perhaps the greatest success story so far is China, which has created a wider supportive ecosystem for EVS. This resulted in over 1.1-million EVS being sold in China in 2018.”
“There are only three full EV model cars in the local marketplace, all of which are to be considered premium products, which limits consumer choice.”
EVS are currently appealing to a niche market and early adopters, and I think the real gamechanger in the medium term could be importing cheap Chinese EV cars; there are over 1 000 producers in China.