Jaguar I-PACE ESTATE 294kW EV400 SE

Is the Jaguar I-PACE ESTATE 294kW EV400 SE the perfect electric family car?

Our business leasing customer, a building and maintenance company from Leicestershire, raised this query with our e-car lease team. As a higher-mileage driver, and one who was company car tax conscious, they wanted to replace their fleet with a purely electric vehicle.

Each customer will have a different motivation to turn towards an electric car: technology, environment, car tax, or just downright curiosity. The cold hard facts are that people are making the transition, and in 2018, 15,510 EVs were registered in the UK. 

In 2019, this figure more than doubled to 37,850 (a 145% increase!). And, in truth, we are only just starting with the product which is available to lease.

The customer was previously operating a pickup truck. Some building services companies have been using this type of vehicle because they are treated as a commercial vehicle for both VAT and company can taxation.

In short, you can reclaim all of the VAT on the rentals and you pay significantly less tax than if you were using a car. However, the reality is that a truck is not only more polluting, but they are not as comfortable to drive as an EV in most cases.

Unless there is a genuine need to have a pickup in order to carry tools and products, you may see many customers turn from these vehicles towards an electric vehicle.

Prestige EVs in the electric car market

The customer wanted a car that was spacious and capable of carrying their family around. Thankfully, the world of EVs has been accommodating for the SUV drivers of the UK. With the Audi E-Tron, Mercedes EQC, and a host of smaller options, customers are not short of choice.

The Jaguar was very much a pioneer in the SUV world and is one of the first mass market luxury EVs to become available. With style, luxury and practicality, this is a great solution for those customers who need to transport a family.

Some of the earlier product and concept electric cars were very unique and would clearly not have suited the day-to-day lifestyles of many UK drivers. Thankfully manufacturers have seen that there is no need to reinvent the car; only to enhance it by replacing a combustion engine with electric motors.

For the I-Pace driver, you do have a true alterative to an F-Pace, Audi Q5, BMW X3 or Mercedes GLC, which are so often seen on our roads.

With the customer covering nearly 20,000 miles per year in their car the only concern raised was the common one – will an EV offer me a usable range? The reality is that once a customer starts to cover between 15k and 20k per annum and above, there is a need to considering charging infrastructure.

It is not that the cars are unsuitable for this type of mileage; many are now covering 200 miles and above. The foremost issue is the availability of charging – do you charge at home? At work? At a service station.

The reality of using an EV is you really need to plan your solutions and, if you can install or access chargers at most locations you visit, there are no concerns. As part of your charge point analysis, you do need to think about the quality and speed of the charge point.

Do all charge points have the same power output?

Put simply – no. The charging options available to home and business premises are slightly different and, based on your car, your need to consider which is most practical for you in the long-term.

For example, a standard smart home charger will only offer around 7kW, whereas businesses can invest in faster 22kW AC charge points or even 50kW DC (subject to their electric infrastructure).

Cost, and practicality, will be a serious consideration but if you are covering higher mileages for the foreseeable future, it is very much worth futureproofing your premises.

Taking the Jaguar here, this can only charge at 7kW, meaning that a full charge would take around 13-14 hours for the 90kWh battery. However, via the CCS fast charge port, the I-Pace can charge on a 100kW DC charging station in just over one hour.

As a business owner, you would have to consider whether a 50kW DC charge point would therefore be a suitable investment, as it would allow sufficient charging for an employee using it for a couple of hours. As more staff use EVs, you will probably see conflict and issues surrounding charge point access.

Our review of the Jaguar I-PACE ESTATE 294kW EV400 SE

Jaguar I-Pace electric lease car

In terms of the car shown, the Jaguar I-PACE ESTATE 294kW EV400 SE 90kWh 5dr Auto (Pure Electric Vehicle), this is based on the following configuration:

• Corris Grey Metallic Paint
• Body Coloured Roof
• Light oyster morzine headlining
• Grained leather - Ebony with ebony/ebony interior + sport seats
• Gloss black trim finisher
• 20" 5 spoke gloss black finish alloy wheels - style 5068
• 10-way electric heated front seats with memory and heated rear seats
• Privacy glass
• Black exterior pack - I-Pace

As standard, the car includes 20” alloys, driver pack, Meridian sound system, ambient interior lighting, adaptive cruise control, Premium LED headlights, climate control, power tailgate, coil suspension, passive suspension, 10-way electric front seats with memory.

Heated steering wheel, secure tracker, grained leather, rear view camera, heated front windscreen, heated washer jets, rain sensing wipers, solar attenuating front and rear windscreen, ASPC, hill launch assist, apply car play/android auto.

Bluetooth, 360 parking aid, lane keep assist, park assist, traffic sign recognition, push button starter, 10” touch screen, navigation pro, auto dimming interior rear view mirror, power folding/dimming/heated and approach light door mirrors, DAB radio.

Headlight power wash, follow me home headlights, LED tail lights, multifunction steering wheel, 60/40 split folding seats, keyless entry and intrusion sensor/alarm. In terms of additional options consider – privacy glass, secure tracker pro and the 22” alloys.

On the technical side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £70,640 and CO2 at 0g/km. The usable battery capacity is 84.7kWh, the WLTP range (Max) is 258miles, 0-62 times are 4.8 seconds and  service intervals are set at every 24 months or 21,000 miles.

So would you select the i-Pace as your next electric car leasing option?

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