Jaguar Land Rover just unveiled its E-type Zero electric car and it's breathtaking
- The production version of Jaguar E-type Zero was unveiled Thursday evening in Monterey, California at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry drove a prototype version of the Jaguar E-type Zero away from their May 2018 royal wedding reception.
- "E-type Zero showcases the incredible heritage of the E-type, and the expertise and craftsmanship at Classic Works," Jaguar Land Rover Classic's Director Tim Hannig said in a statement.
The production version of the Jaguar E-Type Zero was unveiled Thursday evening in Monterey, California at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.
"E-type Zero showcases the incredible heritage of the E-type, and the expertise and craftsmanship at Classic Works, while demonstrating Jaguar Land Rover's dedication to creating zero emission vehicles across every part of the business, including Jaguar Classic," Tim Hannig, Jaguar Land Rover's classic director, said in a statement.
Combining restoration expertise with the zero-emissions technology that made Jaguar's I-PACE SUV so successful, the new E-type Zero will be a custom-made car restored to be an environmentally friendly electric vehicle.
These specified restoration and conversion jobs will be done at Jaguar's Classic Works facility in Coventry, U.K., which handled Jaguar E-type Reborn restorations.
The E-type Zero will use an electric powertrain battery pack that is similar in weight and dimensions to the departing gasoline engine and transmission. This similarity will ensure a smooth conversion, as neither the car's suspension nor brakes will be changed, keeping the driving and handling experience the same as the original E-type. The electric vehicle conversion is fully reversible.
According to Jaguar Land Rover, the E-type Zero will have a quicker acceleration than the original Series 1 E-Type. The car targets a driving range in excess of 170 miles prior to charge and will be powered by a 40kWh battery that should only take six to seven hours to be recharged, depending on the power source.
The Jaguar E-Type Zero first gained publicity when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle drove away from their May 19, 2018 wedding reception in a prototype version of the vehicle.
There are no pricing details yet because each car is uniquely made and assembled from a previous model. Jaguar Land Rover anticipates deliveries of the first electric E-type vehicles to start in the summer of 2020.