Jaguar Land Rover prepares for EVs

Advanced lightweight composite research will help Jaguar Land Rover prepare for future EVs to deliver increased range, greater performance and a more dynamic drive.

The Tucana project is a four-year programme to make the United Kingdom a world leader in low-carbon technology and by 2022 Jaguar Land Rover expects to have developed a fleet of prototype Tucana test vehicles.

It will help prevent 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions between 2023 and 2032 by accelerating mainstream use of EVs and making vehicles lighter to both decrease tailpipe emissions and reduce energy consumption of electrified powertrains.

The research will allow Jaguar Land Rover to develop lightweight vehicle and powertrain structures by replacing aluminium and steel with composites capable of handling the increased torque generated by high-performance batteries, while improving efficiency and reducing CO2 impact.

Jaguar Land Rover aims to increase vehicle stiffness by 30%, cut weight by 35kg and further refine the crash safety structure through the strategic use of tailored composites such as carbon fibre. Reducing the vehicle body weight will allow the fitting of larger batteries with increased range – without impacting CO2 emissions, it says.

The consortium, led by Jaguar Land Rover, includes the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), Expert Tooling & Automation, Broetje-Automation UK, Toray International UK, CCP Gransden and The Centre for Modelling & Simulation (CFMS).

“The development of new lightweight body structures to complement the latest zero-emissions powertrains will be key as the electrification of our vehicle range continues,” Jaguar Land Rover research manager Marcus Henry says.  

“This project will allow the true environmental credentials of electric vehicles to be realised by enabling wider adoption of the technology and will propel Jaguar Land Rover and the UK supply chain into a world-leading position in low-carbon technology.”

CFMS chief technology officer Ian Risk says Tucana shows how new technology development can be optimised and accelerated with digital engineering.

Jaguar has completed the electrification of its Pace family with the P300e plug-in hybrid powertrain offered on the new Jaguar E-Pace and P400e for Jaguar F-Pace alongside the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace.

Similarly, the new Range Rover Velar is now offered with the P400e, completing the hybrid options available across the Range Rover family.