JAGUAR XJ

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Plug-in XJ

words - Jeremy Bass
Jag plans its next step towards an eco-friendly future
Jaguar is reportedly getting serious about taking last year's XJ plug-in hybrid concept to market.

UK magazine Autocar reports that power for the production model will likely come from the 145kW, 400 Nm electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack shown in last year's Limo-Green concept. Included in the package is a 35kW, 1.2-litre, three-cylinder range-extender engine, purpose-developed by Lotus for PHEVs.

Much of the R&D funding for the joint project has come in a grant from the British government's Technology Strategy Board -- part of a UK government bid to revitalise Britain's regional economies by turning them into low-carbon commercial and industrial zones.

The car is Jaguar's answer to the likely future emergence of zero-carbon metropolitan zones around the world. Autocar cites "senior insiders" as saying that "Jaguar Land Rover envisages some of the world's most important cities gradually introducing zero-emissions and zero-pollution zones. All vehicles unable to run purely on batteries would be banned from the area."

The answer: a long-range, self-charging car that runs on pure electric power. The company claims the package is good for around 960 km at speeds of up to 180 km/h, with combined-cycle fuel economy coming in at 4.9L/100km and CO2 emissions of less than 120g/km.

The key to maintaining old-time Jag appeal lies in the weight loss -- with the internal combustion powertrain.

Autocar says that with future Range Rovers likely to share the new X351-series XJ's underpinnings, the PHEV package could make its way into them as well.

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 Published : Friday, 5 February 2010
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