Jaguar enhances I-pace with knowledge gained from race track

Jaguar is releasing a free software update for I-pace owners, which adds an extra 20 kilometres of ‘real-world’ driving range to the electric SUV.

The complimentary update will need to be installed at a dealership, however the software will allow for enhanced over-the-air updates moving forward.

It is yet to be confirmed when Australian customers will have access to the update, though it is currently being rolled out in European markets.

The current Jaguar I-pace delivers 470km of driving range and uses a 90kwh lithium-ion battery pack and a 294kw/680nm electric drivetrain.

Jaguar says that while the software upgrade doesn’t change the official certified range figure, customers will see improvements of up to eight percent dependent on usage.

According to Jaguar, that eight percent equates to a potential 20 kilometres of real-world range.

The technological enhancement comes from insights learned in the Jaguar I-pace etrophy race series, with engineers finding ways to optimise battery, thermal and allwheel-drive components.

Installing the update will also change the torque distribution between the front and rear motors when driving in Eco mode, and allow the battery to run to a lower state of charge without affecting performance.

The active radiator vane system installed in the I-pace is also made to be more aerodynamic, and the regenerative braking system will harvest more energy when the battery is in a high state of charge.

Finally, the predictive range calculation algorithm will make more ‘accurate and consistent’ estimations.

The pure-electric SUV is currently available in three variants, priced from US$124,100 plus on-road costs for the S, US$135,400 for the SE, and US$146,000 for the rangetopping HSE.