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Having raced in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since its debut in Season 3, Jaguar TCS Racing has learnt a thing or two about developing fast and reliable electric cars. Now, after more than two years of silence about its plans for its road car division, the Coventry-based carmaker is investing £15bn to bring three new electric cars to market by 2025 - the first of which will be a four-door GT car with over 700km (430 miles) of range, built in the UK.
"When we launched the team back in 2016, the key focus was on Jaguar's first-ever electric car, the I-Pace," says James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal. "We had to tell the world that we were a brand that was starting to electrify. Since then, we've announced plans to go fully electric in 2025, so the racing is more important than ever. As we race around the world against incredible competitors, we're showcasing what Jaguar is capable of and on the eve of our transfer to an all-eclectic future, it's a very relevant proof point."
An all new GT on the way
Due to arrive next year, the electric four-door GT is aiming to be one of the longest-range EVs on the market and will start from £100,000. Built on a dedicated new chassis dubbed 'Jaguar Electric Architecture' the platform will underpin the other two electric cars in the range - details of which are yet to be revealed. With a big battery on-board sourced from parent company Tata's new European gigafactory, it's safe to assume Jag's new grand tourer won't be lacking in power.
READ MORE: The low down on Jaguar TCS Racing
With nearly six seasons of all-electric racing under its belt, Jaguar has battled with the best in the World Championship to reassert its racing credentials and channel its race-winning technology back into its road cars. Falling painfully short of its first Teams' Championship title at the end of the 2020/21 season, the British team lost out to Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team by just four points. Despite still searching for that elusive first title, the race team has made a significant impact in the world of EVs, translating its race learnings to the road on a number of occasions. After the race team used its understanding of thermal management to better the I-Pace's range by 20km (12 miles) in 2019, the tech transfer between Jaguar TCS Racing and the road cars has continued to flow.
"If we now look back six years in, there's a number of proof points that we have such as our use of Silicone Carbide from Wolfspeed in our inverter," says Barclay. "We've raced with this since 2017 and it allows the inverter to switch faster and be more efficient, and last year we announced that all Jaguar Land Rover cars will use Wolfspeed Silicon Carbide, so that is such a clear example of race-to-road technology transfer."
The next generation
In terms of styling, Jaguar's all-new look remains to be seen but design boss Gerry McGovern insists it will be a "copy of nothing." Credited with reshaping the Land Rover brand, McGovern and his team of designers have been fully focused on Jaguar, creating 18 models that were built by three design teams, to get to three final car designs capable of carrying Jaguar's new identity from 2025 onwards.
"We're really excited about our Reimagine strategy and seeing Jaguar transition into this modern, luxury electric car company is amazing," says Barclay excitedly. "As a team, we're honoured to play our part in helping Jaguar make that transition. When we entered Formula E, we were the first manufacturer to fully commit to it and it's fair to say many have followed us into that space."