In a world where even your toaster oven comes with a dedicated smartphone app, it is a given that a sophisticated, luxurious electric car should gets its own app. We are talking here about Jaguar I-Pace SUV-coupe-thingy, a truly interesting vehicle that is set to make Tesla irrelevant.
Whether it will manage to do that remains to be seen. But on paper everything about the new Jaguar I-Pace seems to be great, even its app. Called Go I-PACE, the iPhone-only application gathers your travelling data to, ostensibly at least, put it to good use. It calculates the range expected from a full charge based on your vehicle use, the number of charges required in a typical week and how frequently you would need to top up mid-journey. It’s neat, but given the fact that there are apps now to control your vehicles functions such as air con and stuff, the Go I-PACE seems a bit, well, incomplete.
Jaguar I-Pace has a range of 298 miles which is really great by today’s EV standards. Charging it, though, is a bit of a drag as it takes 10 hours using a residential AC wall box (7kW). Then again, you can charge it overnight, hoping no emergencies arise early in the night that would require travelling long distances. Or you can get a fast charger (100kW DC) which fills the batteries to 80 percent in 40 minutes.
Making the switch to EV ownership is a big decision. We’re confident anyone who experiences the I-PACE will relish its engaging driving dynamics, performance, practicality and comfort. What a test drive doesn’t show is the lower running costs and convenience of living with our electric performance SUV on a daily basis. The Go I-PACE app is designed to help potential customers make an informed decision. Ian Hoban, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar I-PACE