Jaguar I-Pace becomes first Ring eTaxi
All-electric SUV joins XE SV Project 8 on Jag's Nurburgring fleet
It doesn’t feel like that long ago that the thought of an EV being driven flat out around the Nurburgring was the stuff of fantasy. But following the Nio EP9 hypercar’s blistering 6:45.9 lap time in 2017, it’s like the lithium-ion floodgates have opened. Earlier this year Romain Dumas sent VW’s ID.R around the Green Hell 40 seconds faster, before Porsche laid down a new gauntlet for production EVs with the Taycan’s 7:42 time. EVs can most definitely clock a time around the 73-corner Green Hell – and in these cases at least, they can do it bloody quickly.
Jaguar has taken a slightly different approach to proving the abilities of its sole EV model, by making it the first Ring eTaxi you can rent a ride in. Adding examples of the 400hp and 513lb ft I-Pace to its existing fleet of XE SV Project 8s, up to three passengers can join a professional racing driver for the full 11.9 miles from Bridge to Gantry – although exactly how many laps the SUV can manage is yet to be revealed.
Under normal conditions the 90kWh I-Pace is claimed to be capable of 292 miles (WLTP), four miles more than Porsche’s just-announced Taycan 4S Performance Plus and enough to do about 24 laps of the ‘Ring. That distance will obviously be significantly reduced when a hot-headed pro is doing the pedalling and there are three adults aboard, though, pushing the I-Pace’s kerbweight well beyond the ‘empty’ 2.2 tonnes. But the I-Pace has more than proved its worth on track thanks to the one-make eTrophy series that supports Formula E, in which the racers compete for 25 minutes plus one lap. With that in mind, we imagine even a fully laden eTaxi should make for a pretty impressive ride.
Whether it’ll offer the excitement of a supercharged V8-powered Project 8 is up for discussion (actually, no it’s not), but with each I-Pace lap costing €149 it seems like an easy way to get prospective I-Pace customers into the car. If there’s a place to prove a car’s worth, it’s there!
Its almost sad this is where we have arrived at ie an electric SUV for ring laps.........
I'm sure it'd be a cool experience to be driven professionally in such a surprise package! Imagine cutting through traffic in total silence?!
Fair play Jaguar! This is very cool!!
And then you can go old school in a Supercharged V8 straight after.....what's to complain about?!
Its almost sad this is where we have arrived at ie an electric SUV for ring laps.........
Its almost sad this is where we have arrived at ie an electric SUV for ring laps.........
I reckon it’ll be quite good tbh.
The Ring taxis are entertaining, i.e. getting a big XJR 575 sideways at every opportunity. The iPace will do just fine on there. Of course it will be overtaken, but not by everyone. I think it interesting that they've launched it late in the TF season, as temperatures are dropping - conditions I think will suit an EV better than the heat of summer. There are no planned major works on the Nordschleife either this year, so TF dates go right through to mid December - weather pending of course.
The Ring taxi business is a big one - Apex for example do about 40 laps in the M3 per full TF day. That's over €10k per day, which almost covers their insurance, fuel, tyres and brakes ;-)
Jaguar have the Project 8 on their website at €199/'co-pilot'. The XJR is listed as €199/passenger, up to 3 passengers. Much more expensive than Apex on that model. Maybe that's why the Jags don't appear to do as many laps.
Who remembers when BMW were the only ones to offer a Ring taxi? There were no walk-ups, and it was very cumbersome to book in advance. The modern system of multiple vendors is much better.
Perhaps i'm missing the point, this is most likely a ploy by Jag to promote Electric - would definitely make an interesting lap!
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