Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy 2019 Review - International

If you thought the Jaguar eTrophy was a two-foot tall half-cat, half-goblet-esque award, you wouldn’t be alone.

But it's not.

The Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy is a $430,000 EV race car and the protagonist in what is the world's first all-electric production-based international race series.

In a nutshell, the eTrophy is a significantly modified track version of the Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle, which we've tested multiple times locally and overseas.

The lower, leaner, angrier electric cat competes in a one-make support series for the Formula E championship, an intriguing (read: mostly dull) single-seater alternative to F1, run on tight, twisting city race tracks in Berlin, New York, Paris and Hong Kong.

You can buy the I-Pace road car today from around $125,000 in Australia, and its 90kWh Lithium-ion battery pack feeds a pair of 145kW electric motors that pump out a combined 290kW and 700Nm. Or 400hp in the old money.

Fast? Yes indeedy.

So how has the eTrophy race car's powertrain been upgraded? Well, it doesn't get a Formula E setup but with a little help from the Williams F1 team, updated software allows the twin e-motors to be manipulated in subtle ways (torque curves, energy delivery) and brake regeneration levels can also be tweaked now.

The torque split front to rear has been changed from the production car's 50:50 to slightly favour the rear in a bid to reduce understeer.

Jaguar's SVO or special vehicle operations team that co-developed the race car stripped out the interior which makes it considerably lighter and more agile. An FIA-approved roll cage has been fitted for safety as well.

The bonnet and front body panels are carbon-fibre, the side windows are perspex and it gets a flat carbon underbody to improve aero.

Despite slashing 300kg from its overall mass, the eTrophy is still a fatty kitty-catty, tipping the scales at around 1900kg.

The suspension carries over from the I-Pace albeit with a few parts pilfered from the insane Jaguar XE Project 8 psycho sedan, which allows for fully adjustable roll-bars and spring rates. It also rides 30mm lower to the ground, features more aggressive body work and has a visually appealing – but aerodynamically pointless – rear wing.

The stoppers are AP Racing jobbies and these brakes are too legit to quit. I'm not supposed to talk about the drive impressions until the next section, but these self-same anchors are used on Australian Supercars that blat their way around Phillip Island and Mount Panorama every year. And yes, they're are potent.

There are no limited slip diffs and the middleman between the car's EV engineering and the track surface are 22-inch alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres.

Surely a race car running road tyres will be a skitty, slippy kitty?

Despite the fitment of road car tyres, the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy generates significant levels of grip. It's more nimble than a politician in a verbal stoush.

But I'll be frank; when Jaguar gave us the thumbs-up to drive its eTrophy race car at its Fen End test facility – a long straight, banked corner and a small handling track inside the circuit – I was a little non-plussed.

An EV touring car? Seriously?? What's next, a vegan-friendly Ford Bronco EV?

Yet Jaguar's precious eTrophy development car is a fun car to drive; it feels more like a go-kart than a blunt 1900kg battery-pack on wheels. As well as the adjustable suspension, this priceless development car – which is still being used to further tune cars for the 2020 season – also features adjustable brake bias and a plethora of dials on the race wheel, including 11 settings for the ABS, various engine maps and so on.

With a tidy suspension tune and arresting stoppers, the chassis is a high point.

It feels as though it could handle a lot more power though. From standstill the eTrophy is rapid rather than brutal but it's dead easy to drive because you don't have a challenging gearbox to master. Just hit the 'D' button and you're good.

The only initial criticism is a lack of noise (except for the creaks and clangs of the floating brake calipers), which would add more drama. I reckon it would be cool if spectators could vote to add different sound effects to the various eTrophy cars on race day.

There's only one rule when it comes to driving priceless R&D race cars – don't crash.

Well, the good news is that nothing got bent out of shape. Quite the opposite in fact. Thrashing the Jaguar eTrophy electric race car is far less intimidating than anticipated.

But like any race car, getting into the thing is another question altogether.

The savvy suspension tune and a pair of hugely torquey electric motors conspire to make the car feel lighter and more nimble than it has any right to be, but it's the heavy battery slung low in the body that gives it a low centre-of-gravity, allowing it to pivot rapidly on its axis when steering lock is applied.

It's a remarkably balanced machine and the eTrophy develops so much grip that it builds the kind of confidence usually only possessed by Jason Momoa when he walks into Hollywood nightclub. There's not a lot of feel through the steering wheel but put trust in the car and it responds with composure.

I reckon the most impressive element of the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy are the brakes. They deliver the sort of stopping power you just don't get on a road car. When SVO dynamics engineer Jack Lambert says "crush the pedal" I put as much force into it as I could (it's stiffer than a dead wombat) then almost shat myself.

Jesus wept! It stopped quicker than a news anchor who dropped an f-bomb, immediately coming to the realisation the cameras were still rolling.

Indeed, the decelerative g-forces were painful, the five-point harness digging into my nomex race suit, head lolling forward ragdoll style. Perhaps there is a much closer connection to Formula E after all?

At the other end of the spectrum the 0-100km/h remains unchanged at 4.5 seconds and top speed is around 200km/h (124mph), give or take. Compared to an Australian Supercar geared for rocketing down Conrod straight at the Bathurst 1000, capable of almost 300km/h, breathtaking it is not.

Acceleration up to around 80km/h is brisk but on Jaguar's Fen End test track acceleration tapers off as speed increases. It gets to 200km/h quick enough but the cruel fate of most EVs applies here, and the body-squishingly ferocious power delivery relents as speeds rise.

For Jaguar to dive head-first into such an endeavour, to kick start the world's first all-electric production-based international race series, is a brave move.

Although V8 Supercars are unlikely to go hybrid at this stage, don't dismiss it in the future.

The Jaguar eTrophy racing series thus far has been fairly entertaining, with loads of biffo and fender benders on the tight, narrow city circuits. Given that each car costs around £240,000 ($435,000), with another £540,000 ($980,000) to get onto the grid. That includes race entry, vehicle transport, tyres, routine maintenance and so one. A full turn-key service.

Sounds like too much cashola? All 20 race cars are accounted for, going at it for 10 rounds across the globe.

Indeed, drivers are lining up to participate in the race series suggesting there could be legs in this lunacy.

As more cities and governments around the world issue edicts to ban the sale of petrol and diesel-powered, race cars like the Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy will begin to make more sense, reflecting the changing automotive landscape.

And the EV Jag racer proves that high-performance shenanigans don't have to involve a high-revving combustion engine either.

The only thing the eTrophy needs to really get the attention of spectators is a spine-tingling battle cry… and maybe a two-foot tall half-cat, half-goblet-esque award for the champion.

How much does the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy cost?
Price: $430,000 (approx)
Engine: Two synchronous permanent magnet electric motors, 90kWh
Output: 294kW/700Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Fuel: Enough for one race
CO2: 0g/km
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)