Jaguar tests I-Pace at Monaco and self-drive in UK

Jaguar took to the Monaco Grand Prix circuit to showcase its electric I-Pace’s performance and handling.

Around the same time Jaguar Land Rover has also been testing self-drive and other technology on Britain’s public roads, including where the car finds a space and parks itself.

The I-Pace, launched on March 1, was raced around the Monaco circuit at 3am during a “secret” test which featured Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Kiwi Formula E driver Mitch Evans.

It has a 90kWh lithium-ion battery with a reported range around 480km, and can charge up from zero to 80% in 40 minutes (100kW DC).

Starting at the end of 2018, to coincide with season five of Formula E, Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations will supply a full grid of up to 20 I-Pace eTrophy race cars for a special electric series.

For season five it is expected the new second generation Formula E cars will compete on the full Grand Prix circuit.

Monaco is renowned not only for motorsport, but also its significant investment in renewable energy, electric bike and car sharing schemes and stringent air quality monitoring.

Meanwhile, Jaguar has been working with British self-drive and connected car technologies tester UK Autodrive on various connected car features.

The tech allows cars to ‘talk’ to each other and the surrounding environment, giving drivers the right information when they need it and helping the car react more quickly.

Two of the features tested include emergency vehicle warning (the direction an emergency vehicle is coming from) and electronic emergency brake light (warning when another connected car brakes heavily, providing extra seconds to avoid collision).