Jaguar I-Pace | PH Fleet

Christmas charging confusion reigns - but Matt Bird is still tickled pink with his battery-powered family mover

When researching our family EV, we knew that the Jaguar I-Pace wasn’t the fastest charging option. In fact, it was probably the slowest, with a DC maximum rating of just 100kW. Everything on the MEB architecture boasts more capacity, while the E-GMP Hyundais and Kias are said to be capable of a 200kW+ figure. While we all want the best of everything for the least investment possible when buying secondhand, charging was a compromise we were happy to accept with the Jag, knowing that the majority of time spent plugged in would be at home.

Not exclusively, however, and when back visiting family in Suffolk we are at the mercy of the public network. Which, in fairness, has improved even around there, with a Tesla Supercharger close to where we stay that works flawlessly. With a few days spent there over the festive period, charging hadn’t even been a consideration - because it always just works. Even range and efficiency hadn’t plummeted in colder, darker, wetter conditions, the trip computer generally suggesting about 2.5mi/kWh where it tends to be nearer three. Nothing to be proud of in the days of 4mi/kWh claims with more power and similar weight from much newer cars, but still manageable.

So when it came to eventually needing replenishment, I scooted off to the Supercharger as usual. Plugged in, tapped, watched, waited… and waited. And waited. Usually the charger would've delivered almost the car’s maximum 100kW; now it was hovering around 35kW. With nobody else using a unit on the four-charger bank. It eventually dribbled over 40kW, but when you’re expecting more than double that, it means a lot of time on a forecourt. Reading a book in peace and not being asked about when more presents are coming, sure, but there are definitely better uses of time at Christmas.

The next day was a similar result, and another attempt with others plugged in even worse. I was convinced that the charger was faulty, so at the fourth time of asking I checked what the other cars were pulling in terms of kW: every single one better the I-Pace, with a high score of 140kW from a Volvo EX40. The charger wasn’t the problem - the car was. Ah.

Despite not being unbearably cold outside, the mercury was sufficiently low (and the driving sufficiently sedate) for the battery to stay outside its optimum temperature window. There isn’t a temp display, but clearly the Jag wasn’t warming up, so couldn’t charge anywhere near its best. Stupidly, I’d never really considered that before, probably being more worried about outright range than cold charging. But without a heat pump or any way of preconditioning the battery for rapid charging, it’s going to be a fact of I-Pace life going forward.

Some forum threads from properly chilly climes have thrown up drastic measures, such as sacrificing some state of charge on the way to a DC charger by accelerating and braking as hard as possible. That warms up the battery, and any predicted range lost on the way is quickly recouped by faster charging than if driven normally. Obviously that’s not something to condone, or even attempt, though it goes to show how important a warm battery is. And why a heat pump, where offered, is probably a wise option to have. When you just want to get home in a car full of Christmas crap, watching electrons trickle in (or whatever the right saying is) really does grate. There are only so many sausage rolls you can eat.

Nevertheless, despite showing its age somewhat in terms of battery tech, the Jaguar remains completely charming company. I’ll continue to praise the interior, because it remains stylish, luxurious, spacious and easy to use. It is more than five years since the I-Pace got its Pivi Pro update, and even with the car no longer in production it’s a really good dash, keeping those buttons that new Range Rovers so stupidly do without.

It swallowed all our Christmas clobber with ease, was comfy enough at a cruise for everyone who wanted to sleep to do so, and looked smart among the more conventional SUVs at softplay. I’ve always been a fan of Jaguar's first EV from brief exposure when it was new, and owning one has only increased my fondness. It would be fair to say I wasn’t 100 per cent sure that would happen...

FACT SHEET

Car: 2021 Jaguar I-Pace HSE
Run by: Matt Bird
On fleet since: August 2025
Bought for: £21,700
Mileage: 43,645
Last month at a glance: Crappy cold charging