I-Pace

Make
Jaguar
Segment
SUV

Jaguar is a special company. It produces cars that have a certain je ne sais quoi, cars that have style and luxury that is different to that of German brands. The British company has found renewed success with offerings like the F-Pace and the F-Type, and one of the brand's newest models, the I-Pace, is now part of a revolutionary charging system that will be launched in Norway.

The city of Oslo is where it's all starting, and the project is a joint effort between Jaguar, taxi operator Carbonline, charge point operator Fortum Recharge, and US tech company Momentum Dynamics. This is all part of Oslo's ElectriCity program.

Taxi operators are always on the move, and waiting for a battery pack to recharge would significantly eat into the quantity of work that these people are able to accomplish. Thus, this new system will feature multiple charging plates that are rated at 50-75 kilowatts each. These plates are installed in series in the ground beneath numerous pick-up/drop-off points. The idea is that the specially developed I-Pace taxis will be able to charge while drivers are waiting for their next fare. This would essentially eliminate range anxiety for drivers, meaning that they can work a full day with no loss of income.

This will make Oslo "the world's first metropolitan area to install wireless, induction-based high-powered charging stations for electric taxis." The end goal is to make Oslo's cab system completely emission-free as soon as 2024. This is part of a bigger plan, called Destination Zero, to completely eliminate emissions, crashes, and congestion. As part of this, Norway is mandating that all new cars sold in the country by 2025 are zero-emission. Transportation is naturally one of the biggest contributors to emissions, and one of the biggest challenges to overcome, but Oslo's Vice Mayor for Environment and Transport says that they are committed to reducing emissions by 95 percent before 2030. Will this kind of idea catch on elsewhere? It looks promising.