A Jaguar I-Pace SVR Will Happen, But The Question Is: When?

The Jaguar I-Pace has been around for some months now, and Jaguar is already set on sticking the SVR badge to its first-ever electric car. That’s right, the carmaker isn’t pondering its options or considering such a performance-oriented version - it will make it. The only thing that’s bothering us is there’s no word on when is Jaguar planning to deliver the said I-Pace SVR.

Wait, what? A fully-blown SVR model derived from an all-electric car?

Yup. We’ll get a hot version of the I-Pace at some point in the future. It’s just that the said point hasn’t been determined yet by Jaguar’s head honchos. Speaking to Autocar, Michael van der Sande, the head of SVO, revealed that the I-Pace SVR is indeed coming and it will be delivered by Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations division. However, Jaguar’s performance-oriented arm is currently busy with churning out “more volume-focused models,” which is why the company is yet to set a timeline and official development plan of the I-Pace SVR.

This state of uncertainty has done absolutely nothing to dent Jaguar’s ambitions regarding the I-Pace SVR. In fact, Michael van der Sande is confident that when every detail is set in place, and when the time comes for Jaguar and SVO to develop and build the I-Pace SVR, they will step up.

The SVO boss is supporting that statement with the experience accumulated by SVO while developing the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy racer, which is the backbone of a racing series Jaguar concocted to support its FIA Formula E Championship efforts.

This is an interesting statement, which makes us believe that van der Sande is actually hinting that converting the run-of-the-mill I-Pace to an SVR-badged version isn’t such a hard task to pull off and that it shouldn’t alter the EV’s weight by much in the first place. What Jaguar and SVO will have to get right, however, is the battery pack. As van der Sande admits, “the battery’s duty cycle is very different in racing. We’ve already learned plenty about battery management, heat management, and software development that could be useful for road cars. When the call comes, we’ll be ready.”

What should we expect from the Jaguar I-Pace SVR?

The above words and statements sure sound reassuring for those who have been dreaming of seeing a beefed-up I-Pace SVR hitting the streets. And we think we all agree that to come up with a version worthy of the SVR badge; Jaguar will have to first and foremost tweak the car’s electronics and software systems before moving on to stiffening the chassis, the suspension, or to adding more aero bits and bobs to the exterior. Cooling is also something that has to be addressed with priority in order for performance to be a constant in the whole I-Pace SVR equation, so there’s also that. Nobody wants his track or canyon carving party ruined by overheating components, we can tell you that much.

The regular I-Pace relies on a 90-kWh Lithium-ion battery pack that offers a maximum range of 470 kilometers. Its two electric motors produce a combined output of 400 PS (394 horsepower) and 696 Newton-meters (513 pound-feet) of torque, allowing a sprint time from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) achievable in 4.8 seconds. At this point, it’s safe to say that Jaguar will likely want to drop that acceleration time to perhaps somewhere under the four-second mark for the SVR version.

Jaguar I-Pace specifications

Powertrain	two electric motors
Horsepower	394 HP
Torque	513 LB-FT
Battery pack	90-kWh Lithium-ion
Range	470 km
0 to 60 mph	4.8 seconds

Moreover, if we are to have a look at the SVO-built Jaguar XE SV Project 8 sedan, there’s good indication of what the I-Pace SVR might back in terms of aero-boosting components - a powertrain comparison would be redundant since the XE SV Project 8 packs an internal-combustion V-8.

However, looking at its exterior, we could speculate that the I-Pace SVR is in line for carbon-fiber side mirrors shaped to optimize airflow even further, a carbon-fiber rear wing, redesigned bumpers front, and rear, as well as new side skirts to go with the overall change in design. Sure, this is all just an educated forecast at best, so we’ll obviously know and see more once the I-Pace SVR nears its debut date.