Jaguar confirmed in March that all of its internal combustion models would be discontinued. A month later, the British luxury carmaker has announced its commitment to Formula E until 2030. Rawdon Glover, the brand’s chief executive, admitted to Jalopnik that those who watch the championship tend to be younger and not the typical buyers of one of its cars. However, technology transfer is the most important benefit of competing in Formula E, according to Glover.
The brand sees racing as the ultimate test bed for automotive technology, with the connection between track and road becoming simpler for electric cars. Glover said:
“In terms of thermal management and performance management of the inverter, you can put those parts of our cars under a lot of stress because they run at high speeds with high temperatures and high voltages running through them. If you can demonstrate that in those environments, the ability to transfer that to the car on the road will essentially give you additional range or high v-max. It’s pretty straightforward. If the engineers were here, they would nail me.”
Jaguar has been involved in racing for nearly its entire 88-year history and it is most closely associated with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Type-C won the French classic endurance race in 1951 and 1953. A Type-D was controversially the first car to cross the finish line after disaster of 1955 and won the next two editions. Jaguar’s Slik Cut XJR prototypes captured the imagination of millions in the 1980s. The carmaker ran an F1 team in the early 2000s but never won a race and is now best known for being sold to Red Bull.
The automaker does not deny that. its fans in Formula E could become a customer, but it would take time, and they are clearly willing to wait. Jaguar is a perennial champion bridesmaid. In the last three seasons, the team has entered the final round with a driver who is in contention for the title, and has come up short each time. This year, Nick Cassidy had a chance to win an early round Portland, Oregon, but he failed to score points in either leg of the American doubleheader. Jaguar will now wait until the final in London later this month to claim the championship.
Jaguar would certainly love to advertise a world championship alongside an electric car GT four-door priced at $125,000 scheduled to launch next year. It will be the first of three electric vehicles that will form part of Jaguar’s all-new, low-volume lineup.
