2020 Jaguar I-Pace Update Offers 234 Miles of Range Thanks to eTrophy Know-How

09 Dec 2019, 16:41 by Mircea Panait

The redesigned F-Type may be the most important Jaguar of the moment, but the I-Pace hasn’t been forgotten either. In production since 2018 at the Magna Steyr plant in Austria, the electric SUV gains 12 more miles of range for 2020 thanks to a software update.

https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/2020-jaguar-i-pace-update-offers-234-miles-of-range-thanks-to-etrophy-know-how-139623_1.jpg — Jaguar I-PacePhoto credits: Jaguar

https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/gallery/2020-jaguar-i-pace-update-offers-234-miles-of-range-thanks-to-etrophy-know-how_1.jpg — Jaguar I-PacePhoto credits: Jaguar

Jaguar says that the eTrophy – serving as the support series for Formula E since 2019 – has helped the engineers and software developers to better understand what can be improved about the road-going model. Other than that, more than 50 million miles of real-world driving have been scrutinized to leverage the optimum efficiency settings.

Optimizations to the all-wheel-drive torque management, battery, and thermal systems are in store. The 90-kWh pack and dual-motor setup are now capable of 234 miles of range on a full charge. That’s 377 kilometers in European currency, which is adequate for an SUV this sporty. But better still, the update comes at no charge to the customer.

The software that Jaguar developed for the 2020 model year helps the battery run in a lower state of charge. The thermal management system, meanwhile, is programmed to close the active radiator vanes more frequently to improve aerodynamics. As for the all-wheel-drive system, the torque distribution between the front and rear motors promises superior efficiency only when the I-Pace is driven in ECO Mode.

Even the regenerative braking system has been improved by harvesting more energy at lower driving speeds. The algorithm in charge of predictive range calculation now offers a more accurate and consistent estimate according to Jaguar’s press release.

“The I-Pace eTrophu has generated a huge amount of data for us to analyze and those marginal gains, derived from competition on the track, are now being applied to customers’ cars to further enhance their driving experience,” said vehicle engineering manager Stephen Boulter. “The new software updates optimize the powertrain control systems to improve efficiency and allow drivers to travel even further on a single charge without any hardware changes – it really is a case of the vehicle getting better with age.”

One last additional change is the software-over-the-air functionality, which means that owners will no longer need to drive to the dealership in order to receive fresh software and functionalities. For the time being, Jaguar hasn’t released any information about what kind of OTA improvements will be made in the coming months for existing models and the 2020 I-Pace. 🏁

PRESS RELEASE

9 DECEMBER 2019

"FROM RACE TO ROAD: JAGUAR ENHANCES AWARD-WINNING I-PACE WITH KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM THE RACE TRACK

– Jaguar has taken technical knowledge gained from the I-PACE eTROPHY race series to develop a range-boosting software upgrade for I-PACE customers

– Changes to the all-electric SUV will improve battery performance and deliver up to 12 miles of additional real-world range on a full charge

– Race-derived enhancements are delivered through optimization of battery management, thermal systems and all-wheel drive torque improvements

– The update will also add enhanced Software-Over-The-Air functionality

– Jaguar is inviting customers to have the complimentary software update installed at their nearest retailer

Jaguar is giving I-PACE customers an early holiday present in the form of a complimentary update for the award-winning all-electric SUV that is designed to deliver increased real-world range. Engineers have applied advanced technical insights from the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race series to optimize the management of battery, thermal and AWD systems to enhance the efficiency of the all-electric powertrain.

Jaguar made history in 2018 with the creation of the I-PACE eTROPHY series – the world’s first all-electric production based international race series – reinforcing its commitment to electric racing while leveraging technical expertise to develop future electric road cars as part of its ‘Race to Innovate’ mission. The series puts the all-electric SUV through extreme use conditions and the first competitive season yielded critical learnings for the durability and thermal control of the battery and torque management systems.

In a continual quest to enhance the customer experience, Jaguar engineers have also analyzed data from more than 50 million miles of real-world journeys from all corners of the world. Every element of the vehicle’s performance is scrutinized to leverage the optimum performance of the systems and maximize efficiency.

“The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY has generated a huge amount of data for us to analyze and those marginal gains, derived from competition on the track, are now being applied to customers’ cars to further enhance their driving experience,” said Stephen Boulter, I-PACE Vehicle Engineering Manager. “The new software updates optimize the powertrain control systems to improve efficiency and allow I-PACE drivers to travel even further on a single charge without any hardware changes – it really is a case of the vehicle getting better with age.”

The all-wheel drive I-PACE is the Jaguar brand’s first full battery-electric vehicle and has an EPA estimated range of up to 234 miles from a single charge of its 90kWh lithium-ion battery1. While the new software upgrade doesn’t change the official certified range figure, the marginal gains developed from eTROPHY analysis will give customers access to an improvement of up to eight percent dependent on usage – equating to a potential extra 12 miles of real-world range.

The changes derived from the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race series include:

- All-Wheel Drive: Changes to the torque distribution between the front and rear motors will deliver greater efficiency when driving in ECO mode – the system still delivers permanent AWD traction3

- Temperature control: Refinements to thermal management control will make greater use of the active radiator vane system, closing the vanes more frequently to enhance aerodynamic performance more of the time

- Battery Capacity: Updates allow the battery to run to a lower state of charge than previously without affecting drivability, durability or performance

Additional changes derived from real-world data analysis include:

- Regenerative Braking: The vehicle’s brakes will harvest energy more efficiently when the battery is in a high state of charge and the amount of energy recovery has been increased at lower driving speeds to maximize efficiency and range

- Range calculation: Changes to the predictive range calculation algorithm will deliver a more accurate and consistent estimate of vehicle range, while being more reflective of an individual’s driving style

Customers are being invited to take vehicles to their nearest Jaguar retailer to receive the complimentary update. The wide-ranging changes will also enable enhanced Software-Over-The-Air (SOTA) functionality4. After receiving the latest software, more electronic modules will be able to receive remote updates, providing ongoing enhancements to the customer experience.

The I-PACE’s state-of-the-art 90kWh Lithium-ion battery offers sports car performance of 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds5 alongside the practicality of 234 miles of all-electric range1, and 0-80 percent charging time of approximately 40 minutes (100kW DC). Home charging with an 230V AC wall box (7kW) will achieve the same state of charge in just over 10 hours2.

The all-electric Jaguar I-PACE performance SUV is priced from $69,500