Daily Archives: October 29, 2018

Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)

My First Jaguar I-PACE Experience

Electric Cars, I-PACE, Jaguar Land Rover, News, Reviews and Comment

On Friday I had my first taste of the new Jaguar I-PACE as I took my family for a test drive.

I was intrigued to see what it’s like as I think it would be fair to say that the motoring press have been raving about it, the first all-electric production car from the Jaguar Land Rover group.

Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)
Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)

It turns out it is a nice car to sit in and drive; it’s very comfortable, has a decent (though not huge) boot and lots of features. My family particularly liked the rear seat heaters, air conditioning and USB ports.

It accelerates nicely and pretty quietly, and has a decent range – somewhere between 250 and 300 miles (with the usual caveats over driving style, ambient temperature, etc). Overall a pretty good car.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed as I was expecting something a little more special. I guess I’m a bit spoilt, driving a BMW i3 and having driven the Tesla Model S a number of times. But it pretty much seemed like just another Jaguar but this time with an electric powertrain.

Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)
Jaguar I-PACE Electric Car (Image: T. Larkum)

While almost any car can be improved by going electric, I had hoped for a more ‘clean sheet’ design. For example, it had a huge console between the driver and passenger as though it had a gearbox and transmission tunnel, where on the i3 there is space, and a flat floor.

Anyway, if you are in the market for a Jaguar then do consider the I-PACE as it’s certainly the best Jaguar available. It has good looks, electric performance and a decent range so it’s well worth a look.

My thanks to David at Guy Salmon Jaguar Northampton for giving us the test drive.

Diesel and petrol ban should come much faster, say MPs

Electric Cars, Energy and Climate Change, News, Reviews and Comment, Pollution, Sales

A ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars should be brought forward by eight years to 2032, MPs have said.

The government’s current plans to ensure all new cars are “effectively zero emission” by 2040 were “vague and unambitious”, a report by Parliament’s business select committee said.

It also criticised cuts to subsidies and the lack of charging points.

The government said it aimed to make the UK “the best place in the world” to own an electric vehicle.

However, the report from the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee said the government’s deeds did not match the ambitions of its words.

The committee’s chairwoman, Rachel Reeves MP, said the government’s targets gave “little clarity or incentive to industry or the consumer to invest in electric cars.”

‘Zero means zero’

Earlier this year the prime minister said that all new cars and vans should be “effectively zero emission” by 2040.

The government’s Road to Zero Strategy said it wanted “almost every car and van” in the UK to be zero emission by 2050. However it was unclear which, if any, hybrid models were being included.

The committee said “zero should mean zero” and called for the government to bring forward “a clear, precise target for new sales of cars and vans to be truly zero emission by 2032”.

The UK was among the top 10 countries for electric vehicle sales in 2017, and has around 14,500 public charging points. However, in its report the committee said the country was far from electric vehicle ready.

Read more: BBC