It's hard to argue against the notion that Tesla still is the king when it comes to all-electric vehicles. But unlike a couple of years back, it no longer is the only significant name in this rising segment in the automotive industry. With the likes of BMW, Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, and Ford all trying to get a major piece of the pie, another big-name manufacturer is entering the fray — Jaguar. And what better way to take on the leader of the pack head-on than by introducing a battery-electric sports utility vehicle.
According to Autoblog, the Indian-owned Jaguar brand has recently pronounced its intentions to put its I-Pace concept SUV into mass production in two years' time, although a lot of promises have been made by other companies, too. The same report adds that the bold announcement is part of the company's commitment to gradually switch to plug-in hybrids and zero-emission battery and electric-powered vehicles from the traditional combustion engines.
While the I-Pace was unveiled this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, it isn't expected to hit the road until 2018. As a concept vehicle, at least for now, Jaguar knows how important it is that all the traditional perks of owning and driving a vehicle will never be compromised, including handling, performance, and ride quality. Obviously, the brand is synonymous with fast cars, so it should be a little challenging to come up with an electric SUV with a high-powered performance.
Nonetheless, Jaguar is boasting that it can do 0–60 miles per hour in about four seconds, which means that it should be faster than other electric SUVs that the industry is aware of so far. The Jaguar I-Pace is reportedly powered by two electric motors that produce 400 horsepower. Now that is the perfect definition of powerful.
