Summary In 2016 Panasonic Jaguar Racing announced its return to global motorsport as the first premium manufacturer in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, confirming its electric future. In the two years since, they have become one of the leading teams both on and off the track. The 2018/19 season will see Jaguar's commitment to electrification and the series grow as the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY - the world's first production battery electric vehicle race series – debuts.
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Panasonic Jaguar Racing Season 5 Hype Film
The Championship
Formula E is the world's first global championship for electric single-seater racing cars. Championing a sustainable future with the development of electric vehicle technology. The series is completely unique, with races taking place on temporary street circuits in the world's most iconic cities. With each team fielding two cars, the 22 car-strong grid includes some of the best drivers in the world, with many having previously competed in Formula 1. The chassis is made by Dallara and a standard battery engineered by McLaren Applied Technologies, leaving the teams to develop their own powertrains – including key components like the motor, invertor and gearbox. For the 2018/19 season Panasonic Jaguar Racing believe they are the first team to have developed their powertrain entirely in-house.
In 2016, Jaguar became the first premium manufacturer to join the series, a decision vindicated by a host of leading manufacturers like Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, Nissan and Audi joining in seasons 4, 5 and 6. After a development year in season 3 of the championship, Panasonic Jaguar Racing entered Season 4 with a stronger driver and engineering line-up. The 2017/18 season saw Panasonic Jaguar Racing record their first podium finish, pole position and the team finishing with over quadruple their total points haul from the prior season. In season 5 the team will be seeking to regularly compete as a front-running team, with regular podium positions.
Jaguar I-TYPE 3 landscape exploded infographic
Jaguar I-TYPE 3 and I-PACE eTROPHY on track
Why Formula E?
Jaguar has an enviable motorsport history, winning the famous Le Mans 24 Hours seven times – more than any other British manufacturer. Through competition, Jaguar has developed new technologies, including pioneering the use of the disc brake in racing.
Jaguar Land Rover has made a commitment that from 2020 all new model lines will be electrified, with either hybrid or battery technology, with the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE in 2018 the first phase of this project. Formula E provides Jaguar with a real-world performance test bed for Jaguar Land Rover to develop its future EV powertrains, pushing the boundaries of electric technology in an intensely competitive, high performance environment.
It is my belief that over the next five years we will see more changes in the automotive world than in the last three decades. The future is about being more connected and more sustainable; electrification and lightweight technologies are becoming more important than ever as urbanisation continues to increase. Formula E has recognised and reacted to these trends and the championship's exciting and pioneering approach is the perfect fit for our brand.
Group Engineering Director
The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY
After entering Formula E in 2016, Jaguar has created the world's first production battery electric vehicle race series. The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will be the support series for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, taking place on the same weekends at the same city circuits, starting in 2018.
Exclusively featuring Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecars, the new all-electric series gives drivers of the future and established racers a chance to showcase their talent, competing on the world stage in zero-emissions motorsport. The groundbreaking championship will see up to 20 identical Jaguar I-PACE battery electric racecars on the grid in 10 races in global cities.
JAGUAR CHARGES UP I-PACE WITH ALL-ELECTRIC RACE SERIES
Jaguar returned to racing in 2016 with the mission 'Race to Innovate'. With the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY we have strengthened our commitment to battery electric vehicles, international motorsport and Formula E. As a British team, we are proud to announce the launch of the world's first production battery electric vehicle championship.
Gerd Mäuser
Jaguar Racing Chairman
As part of the commitment to #RACETOINNOVATE Panasonic Jaguar Racing are looking to establish itself as a leader in premium Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) showcasing Jaguar's credentials for innovation within the automotive industry both on and off the tack.
Jaguar Racing and Gorillaz ambassador Noodle feel strongly that engaging with the next generation of engineers is vital to the team's long term success and following the launch of the code-breaking recruitment puzzle in the Gorillaz mixed-reality app Jaguar Land Rover recently announced its first hire who will be joining the company specializing in computer software.
JAGUAR LAND ROVER ANNOUNCES NOODLE FROM BRITISH BAND GORILLAZ AS GLOBAL AMBASSADOR
"Jaguar are proud to be pioneers in motorsport, stretching all the way back to introducing the use of the disk brake in racing. Electrification is the next chapter of Jaguar's story and we're proud to be spearheading that with our participation in electric motorsport. Competing in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship has allowed us to take learnings from the track and benefit our road car capabilities, proven with the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE in 2018. Launching the world's first all-electric production-based vehicle support series, the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, is another step in the right direction for Jaguar Racing. We can't wait to electrify the streets of some of the world's most iconic cities in our brand new I-TYPE 3 and up to 20 identical Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecars."
Team Director, Jaguar Racing
Find out more about Jaguar's Formula E programme.