Jaguar TCS Racing: Electrifying the Track and Driving Innovation Across Future EVs

The roar of the crowd, the hum of electric motors, and the promise of cutting-edge innovation – it’s Formula E season once again!?

In this edition, we invite you on a legendary journey from the racetrack to the road, showcasing the groundbreaking technological advancements being made by our Jaguar TCS Racing team and partners. With expert insight from our racing team, we’ll explore how innovations being developed on the track are driving JLR’s future vehicle roadmap as we prepare to electrify our brands by 2030.??

So, fasten your seatbelt – this is a journey you won't want to miss!?

Before we get to the grid, why Formula E??

In motorsport terms, Formula E is still a very new, and very ambitious world championship. Net zero carbon from the outset (based on the 2020 definition), the Formula E organisation seeks to continually advance electric vehicle technology while providing the very best and most competitive racing spectacle in the world. This speaks directly to JLR’s Reimagine strategy, accelerating sustainable innovation that drives the future of electrification.??

Up against some of the best drivers and biggest names in motorsport, Jaguar TCS Racing secured last season’s ABB FIA Formula E Teams’ World Championship title - Jaguar’s first world title victory since 1991. While an amazing accolade in itself, the benefits of our involvement Formula E go even further. Simply competing provides a true test bed to develop and test new electric vehicle technologies that can be considered for JLR’s future vehicles for the benefit of our customers.?

Jaguar’s heritage and race to road beginnings?

Jaguar’s heritage on-track is as rich as its provenance on the road. From 1935 – the year company founder Sir William Lyons first used the Jaguar name on a car – Jaguars have been synonymous with competition, with race to road breakthroughs a core aspect of its early beginnings.?

A fact you might not know is that Jaguar pioneered the use of disc brakes through competition on the Le Mans winning C-type in the 1950s, later bringing that life-saving technology to the road.??

The Jaguar I-TYPE 7: the most efficient Jaguar race car ever?

Newly engineered for Season 11, the Jaguar TCS Racing team have introduced the new Jaguar I-TYPE 7 – which they hope will be another jewel in their championship-winning crown.?

Faster and more efficient than its championship-winning predecessor, and now with all-wheel-drive technology, it can reach 60mph in just 1.82 seconds – accelerating faster than today’s Formula 1 cars. But the story doesn’t end there.?

Jaguar I-TYPE 7 fast facts?

1. The Jaguar I-TYPE 7 is capable of a split-second change between 350kW all-wheel-drive traction and 600kW regenerative braking – the latter both slowing the car and re-charging the battery. The ‘regen’ effect is so powerful that the I-TYPE 7 not only needs no rear disc brakes, but it starts every race with only 60% of the energy it needs to finish – the additional 40% comes from that regen braking.?

1. The all-electric Jaguar I-TYPE 7 is so efficient that the amount of energy it uses to finish a race is the same as could be provided by just five litres of petrol…but if the race car were powered by a petrol engine – which is much less efficient – it would need at least 24-litres of fuel to finish.?

1. The I-TYPE 7’s rear powertrain is compact enough to fit into a carry-on suitcase, yet produces up to 350kW, the equivalent of 470bhp!?

"Driving the I-TYPE 7 feels like piloting the future," says Nick Cassidy, Jaguar TCS Racing team driver, "The all-wheel-drive traction and instant power delivery make every lap an adrenaline rush. It’s not just faster – it’s smarter. This car is a technological triumph."?

From race to road??

The magic of the I-TYPE 7 isn’t confined to the race circuit. Every innovation is designed with a bigger goal in mind: to bring advanced technology from the track to the road.?

As Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing driver, puts it: "When I’m pushing the car to its limits, I know we’re not just racing for points. We’re racing to make electric driving better for everyone."?

While Formula E regulations stipulate that all teams must use the same chassis, bodywork and battery, the Jaguar I-TYPE 7’s powertrain – inverter, motor generator unit, and transmission – are bespoke Jaguar designs, as is the cutting-edge software that controls them.?

It’s this in-house powertrain and software development in a racing environment where systems are tested in the harshest of conditions and the pace of innovation is the difference between winning and losing, that gives our engineers early insight into the transfer of those technologies to future road-going EV applications.?

Take energy management: In Formula E, success hinges on extracting every ounce of performance from a finite energy supply. This challenge mirrors the priorities of everyday EV drivers who want maximum range without sacrificing power or reliability.??

Remember that Formula E cars start each race with only 60% of the battery capacity they need and must generate the rest through braking. The I-TYPE 7’s 600kW regenerative braking system captures energy during braking and feeds it back into the battery – the more efficiently it does this, the faster the car can go This same principle of regenerative braking is used in our PHEVs and EVs to enhance performance and range.??

"The racetrack isn’t just a stage for our sport – it’s a laboratory,"?explains James Barclay , Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal.

"Every race provides a test, a challenge against the very best, every contest teaches us something new and to win you have to be better in every aspect. In the end every victory proves what is possible and, in every defeat, there are lessons to be learnt. All of these lessons provide unrivalled data, experience and expertise that drive our future road cars forward, helping us deliver performance, efficiency, and sustainability for our customers."?

?A team effort: Jaguar TCS Racing partners driving innovation?

Behind every Jaguar race car is a brilliant team, with a network of world-class partners and suppliers, whose expertise helps turn the team’s vision into reality.?

Let's start with our Title and Technology Partner, 塔塔咨询服务公司 , who use technology to help Jaguar TCS Racing win races and accelerate the electrification journey from race to road. A longstanding JLR partner, TCS have helped improve the reliability of our racing team’s digital twin technology that allows the team to create virtual models of its cars. The advantage being that they can effectively run more tests to optimise performance, without even needing a driver in the cockpit.?

Performance, efficiency, and sustainability all meet thanks to 陶氏化学 , our Official Materials Science Partner. Their expertise in next-gen materials help our racing team use advanced materials and adhesives to make the I-TYPE 7 perform at its optimum. But it’s not just about racing—Dow is also supporting JLR’s wider transformation into a sustainable modern luxury business as we move towards a mutual goal of low carbon mobility .?

Our Official EV Fluids Partner, Castrol ’s high-performance fluids are like a secret weapon for the I-TYPE 7. They reduce friction, optimise thermal performance, and ensure the car operates flawlessly under the intense heat of competition. Castrol and Jaguar TCS Racing made history at the 2023 Monaco E-Prix by using a groundbreaking more-circular EV transmission fluid in our race cars. This fluid, containing re-refined base oils, performed just as well as fluid containing new oil, showcasing how top-tier performance can also be sustainable.?

In a sport where races and championships can be won or lost with the finest of margins, every second counts. ?Through our partnership with Google Cloud , we can upload data from anywhere in the world and rapidly send it to our race engineers in the UK. It's like having a turbocharged pit stop that instantly delivers crucial information right into their hands, allowing our team to make super-fast real-time setup and strategy decisions between sessions.?

Our Official Power Semiconductor Partner, Wolfspeed , powers the Jaguar I-TYPE 7 inverter with cutting-edge silicon carbide technology. This tech boosts the inverter's switching speeds, reduces heat loss, and operates at higher temperatures, making our powertrain super-efficient. Think of the inverter as the car's 'energy translator’, converting the battery's power into the right type of energy to drive the motor.? Plus, the same Wolfspeed tech is being used in JLR’s upcoming EVs, supporting faster charging and longer range.?

Together, these partnerships embody the spirit of Formula E, where collaboration drives innovation. It plays a big part in JLR's journey to electrification as we aim to achieve carbon net zero by 2039. ??

For customers, this all means they get to enjoy the latest electric vehicle technology, perfected on the racetrack. Amazing innovations developed in the heat of competition will make their way into their future cars, offering a smoother drive, with greater efficiency and durability.???

"Every partner we work with is an extension of our team,"?says James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal.?"A problem shared with the best in their field is a problem halved and our innovations from our partners form part of the building blocks of our success. Together,?we’re?working towards a cleaner, smarter future.”?