Jaguar I-Pace

[johnd]

[Deleted User 1874]

A lot of truths in that review. Once you get a taste for a performance EV, you seriously start to wonder why you would ever want an ICE as your daily driver again. This simple realisation, above all the eco benefits, is what will really change the future market. Nobody is ever going to test drive an iPace and be disappointed in the drivetrain performance. It's far more likely to be an eye-opener. There are still charging issues for those without a private driveway, but for those who can charge overnight it's a game-changer.

Quite a lot of badge psychology going on in that review too! Since both of those guys seem to prefer conventional low slung cars over SUVs, I can't help thinking a Tesla Model S would be preferable and it has even more interior space, range and performance too.

[Dandock]

Notwithstanding the price, zero driveway, fast recharging infrastructure or any substantive recharging infrastructure (which, maybe, will come along before deliveries come on stream - or maybe not), and potential JLR build/materials issues, it very impressive.

[nsm3]

Macan and Cayenne make you look like a P3N15

[SAC1]

Notwithstanding the price, zero driveway, fast recharging infrastructure or any substantive recharging infrastructure (which, maybe, will come along before deliveries come on stream - or maybe not), and potential JLR build/materials issues, it very impressive.

[jesim1]

After what I've written I won't go back and say I've changed my mind one bit - but I would reiterate the fact that if manufacturers went from 400bhp to 200bhp and put a bigger battery in then they would make the thing far more desirable to the mainstream public due to all the concerns several of us have sighted so far - whether they are genuine concerns or not is totally irrelevant - because they are perceived concerns, and to us mere mortals that is what counts.

James

[Wing Commander]

^^^ Sounds sensible to me. If BHP/power in an EV is comparable to ICE cars, then most drivers on the roads today have less than that (200bhp) under their bonnet at the moment (although I guess the EV may weigh a bit more). As you say, they're far more concerned about how long a charged battery will last, than if their new EV can do 0-60 quicker than a 911, if it's as simple as that...?

Cheers,

Simon

[Dandock]

+1. Usability. Whilst there’ll always be consumers on the fringes the middle market is where the money is. Neither do Joe and Janet want to wrestle with too much tech. Alright for some right now but a learning curve for most. The mass market always will be resistant to change so product development has to be gently progressive. And the support infrastructure has to be in place.

I think it would be very fair to say that EVs wouldn’t have sold anything like as well as they have without very significant subsidies from governments and manufacturer’s consumer stimulants. At the same time, like the changes driven by Ralph Nader, little would happen without them.

[johnd]

but I would reiterate the fact that if manufacturers went from 400bhp to 200bhp and put a bigger battery in then they would make the thing far more desirable to the mainstream public

I'm not sure that's how it works though. One of the main constraints on EV design at present is the size and weight of the battery. The size of the car plays a major part in determining the size of battery that can be accommodated and hence why you need Tesla/I-Pace size to fit in 80-90kWh of battery. It's not really feasible to pack in significantly more battery than the current designs provide for.

But of course there are designs that combine smaller physical size, somewhat smaller batteries and lower power and hence still giving reasonable range eg the Hyundai Kona. This is much more of an everyman EV and seems to be getting good reviews, but its realistic range is still limited to 220-240 miles, ie give or take the same as I-Pace.

I-Pace is a premium SUV/crossover and so is probably as close as you currently get to a Macan EV (which is why it gets talked about here quite a lot). But there are plenty of other options out there like Kona which have a smaller, cheaper, lower power package, though even with Kona you can't stuff much more battery into that size of chassis.

[Deleted User 1874]

but I would reiterate the fact that if manufacturers went from 400bhp to 200bhp and put a bigger battery in then they would make the thing far more desirable to the mainstream public

I'm not sure that's how it works though. One of the main constraints on EV design at present is the size and weight of the battery. The size of the car plays a major part in determining the size of battery that can be accommodated and hence why you need Tesla/I-Pace size to fit in 80-90kWh of battery. It's not really feasible to pack in significantly more battery than the current designs provide for.

But of course there are designs that combine smaller physical size, somewhat smaller batteries and lower power and hence still giving reasonable range eg the Kia Kona. This is much more of an everyman EV and seems to be getting good reviews, but its realistic range is still limited to 220-240 miles, ie give or take the same as I-Pace.

I-Pace is a premium SUV/crossover and so is probably as close as you currently get to a Macan EV (which is why it gets talked about here quite a lot). But there are plenty of other options out there like Kona which have a smaller, cheaper, lower power package, though even with Kona you can't stuff much more battery into that size of chassis.

Spot on, couldn't have put it better myself.

As for range, even though I was used to a 450 mile ICE range, in practice I now find it even easier to get by with a 200 mile range EV. That does depend on having convenient garage/driveway charging, but if you do have that facility then it's pretty awesome! I haven't had to stop and queue in a petrol station since February and Supercharging is a breeze on longer journeys. Massive parking bays, no queues, no messing with payment cards or Apps, simply plug in and watch it charge at 300 miles/hr. Longest I've sat there is 30 mins while chilling out to some music and catching up on emails etc. Most stops are usually 10-20 mins for a top up on the way home and any sub 200 mile round trips don't require any stop at all.

I don't even need the biggest 100 kWh battery, 75 kWh is perfect for my use and I'm putting more miles on this car than anything else I've owned in recent years. As John said, batteries are both expensive and heavy so bigger is certainly not better in many cases. If I ever wanted to reduce performance to give more range, I could put it in "chill" mode to restrict power delivery, but haven't felt the need once yet. The instant power delivery is one of the inherent advantages of an EV and not something I would want to miss out on!