Jaguar does another XJ plug-in concept

JAGUAR has taken a further step in its development of parallel plug-in hybrid technology, displaying a petrol-electric version of the XJ luxury sedan at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend.

The concept follows on from previous range-extender vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), including the Range_e plug-in diesel from the 2011 Geneva motor show and the XJ-based Limo Green prototype from 2010.

The XJ_e engineering research vehicle uses a direct-injected 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine lifted from the Range Rover Evoque in place of the usual 5.0-litre V8, matched to a special eight-speed automatic transmission and a 69kW electric motor with a 12.8kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

A total system output of 246kW allows the big sedan to sprint from zero to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h, but keeps combined fuel consumption as low as 3.2 litres per 100km and carbon dioxide emissions to just 75 grams per kilometre.

This fuel consumption figure is lower than any vehicle currently sold on the Australian market (excluding the fully-electric Mitsubishi MiEV and Nissan Leaf), and compares with 11.4L/100km for the V8.

Left: Jaguar F-Type.

The parallel hybrid system means the car can run on petrol power, electric power or a combination of the two. The battery pack gives the technology concept a zero emissions range of up to 40km, with the maximum vehicle range listed as 1092km.

The XJ_e concept retains the lightweight aluminium body structure of the standard XJ.

It was partially funded by the UK government’s Technology Strategy Board and developed as part of a wider collaborative project including fellow car-makers Infiniti and Lotus, whose EMEREG-E and Evora 414E plug-in concepts were also on display at Goodwood.

JLR engineering director Bob Joyce said the XJ_e, while not itself set for production, showed how future low-emission luxury vehicles from the company would continue to offer high levels of performance and refinement.

“The XJ_e investigates how a 5.0-litre V8 engine could be replaced by an advanced 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain to deliver similar performance and refinement, but with CO2 emissions of less than 75g/km,” he said.

“While the XJ_e is an experimental project, it highlights that JLR customers can expect some exciting low-carbon products in the future.” The green limousine was joined at the famous UK automotive event by a lightly disguised example of the company’s long-awaited, all-aluminium F-Type two-seat convertible ahead of its full production reveal later this year.

The supercharged V6 F-Type test car was driven for the first time in public view by Jaguar’s head of vehicle integrity Mike Cross, who tackled the hillclimb event.

Jaguar says the car will also be offered with a supercharged V8 engine when it goes on sale in Europe around the middle of 2013.