Arctic Circle Challenge - Matt Passey, Innovations Manager

Following its global debut at the ABB FIA Formula E race in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecar was put through rigorous cold weather testing at Jaguar Land Rover’s facility at the edge of the Arctic Circle in Arjeplog, Sweden. Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Formula E driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, was joined by Beauty and the Beast star Luke Evans, and models Toby Huntington-Whiteley and Jim Chapman, who all took the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY to one of the many frozen lakes in the region to unleash the full potential of the 195km/h electric racecar. Temperatures exceeded -40°C, some 10°C lower than most conventional electric vehicles can operate at. The all-wheel drive Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY took to the ice for the first time, alongside the production Jaguar I-PACE, to prove the effectiveness of its battery’s state-of-the-art thermal management system. This enabled it to deliver outstanding performance, efficiency and durability in the sub-zero conditions. The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY and the Jaguar I-PACE are powered by the same 90kWh Lithium ion battery. Using the Terra 53 ABB static DC chargers at the Ice Academy, the vehicles can be charged in 90 minutes. Using ABB’s 100Kw DC high power chargers the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY can go from 0-80% in just 40 minutes. The new series continues this weekend, as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship heads to Santiago, Chile for Round 3 on the 26th January.