Y
ELECTRIC CARS
Buy from £60,995 (with PiCG) Lease from £599/month / jaguar.co.uk
JAGUAR I-PACE
ou could almost hear the panic
emanating from Silicon Valley
when Jaguar unleashed its
cutting-edge I-Pace: this was one
of the first production vehicles from
a luxury maker that had the range,
handling and performance to match
the might of Tesla. Fusing SUV and
coupé styling, Jaguar wanted to create
something elegant and aerodynamic,
with every curve, intake and line intended
to improve range.
It’s worked, because the I-Pace delivers
292 miles on a charge – and that’s been
calculated using the new, much stricter
WLTP test cycle. Plus, performance from
its all-wheel-drive system is up there with
some of the fastest sports cars on the
road: the 0-62mph dash is dispatched
in a brisk 4.5 seconds.
Amazingly, the I-Pace proves pretty
capable off-road too: the added benefit
of motors at each wheel is ultimate control
over traction. Point this thing up a muddy
hill and it’ll happily plough ahead.
Inside, owners are greeted to multiple
TFT displays (no analogue instruments
here), with Jaguar’s dedicated smartphone
app able to track journeys, remotely locate
the car and highlight any charging spots
in the local vicinity.ALL KILLER, SLOW FILLER
Due to the size of the I-Pace’s battery
packs (90kWh, to be precise), it takes
a hefty amount of charge to achieve
optimum levels of juice. Unfortunately,
for the best charging performance – 168
miles of range per hour – you’ll need to use
a 50kW DC rapid charger, and they aren’t
exactly ubiquitous in the UK.
This is the one area where Tesla owners
really have the Jaguar licked, thanks to the
American marque’s awesome network ofDeeply touched
Jaguar’s Touch Pro
Duo infotainment
system has two
interactive screens:
one in the dash, one
beneath it.Supercharging stations. Charging an
I-Pace at home will take around 13 hours,
so plugging in at bedtime might be a little
too late. Mind you, the reality is that most
commuters will barely use 30% of the
battery on a typical daily drive.
Jaguar’s maiden all-electric vehicle
is gorgeous to pilot, with a hushed cabin
that makes long motorway cruises a
breeze and a readiness to accelerate
that demands owners press on when the
route suddenly gets interesting. For those
naysayers who still think electric vehicles
are boring, spend some time in an I-Pace
and have your worldview altered.TESLA MODEL S
Buy from £78,050 / Lease from £1160/m
/ tesla.comNo EV list would be complete without a
mention of Tesla, as the Californian giant
has arguably been the catalyst behind the
auto industry’s monumental change in
direction. Elon Musk has many critics, but
that shouldn’t take anything away from
the groundbreaking Model S.
This sleek saloon re-writes the rules
for all-electric performance and offers
advanced autonomous driving tech that
most of the other makers are only just
beginning to explore. Add the enormous
17in touchscreen, the 393-mile range and
the 0-to-62 sprint time of 2.4 seconds in
Ludicrous mode, and you have a winner.KEY SPECS O 393 miles O 250-451kW
(335-605bhp) O 0-62mph in 2.4s/3s
O 93mph O 10.2in touchscreenStuff says +++++POLESTAR 2
Buy from £49,000 (tbc) / Lease price tbc
/ polestar.comMotorsport buffs might recall Polestar’s
successful involvement in touring car
racing, but it recently announced it would
change direction to become the premium
electric arm of Volvo. Cue the Polestar 1,
with a hybrid powertrain that proved the
performance potential of its next-gen
tech but cost a packet.
The gorgeous Polestar 2 is a far more
sensible choice, with a 78kWh battery,
two electric motors and a smaller price
tag. But Polestar doesn’t really want you
to buy this car: it’s offering a subscription
package that covers everything from
insurance to maintenance.KEY SPECS O 275 miles O 300kW
(402bhp) O 0-62mph in 4.7s O 155mph
O 11in touchscreenStuff says +++++STUFF SAYS Jaguar leads the way with an all-electric star that
combines desirable styling with Tesla-troubling performance +++++
KEY SPECS
ORange Up to 292 miles
OPower 294kW (394bhp)
O0-62mph 4.5 seconds
OTop speed 124mph
OInfotainment 10in and 5in touchscreens