DRIVE STORY
A decade after we drove an XK between London and Edinburgh, we do so again only this time in an I-PACE. Can an all-electric car be driven the full length of the A1 as easily as a 5.0-litre coupe?
MUCH HAS changed over the last ten years. In 2012 few could point to where Kyiv was on the map, Donald Trump remained a reality TV star and only cattle farmers thought about herd immunity.
The other big change in that time has been in the automotive world. Although electric cars were available a decade ago, they were largely niche, low-volume models that made up a tiny percentage of the new car market. Plus, you’d have more chance of finding an Obama-voting Republican than you would a charging station.
Jaguar was still a long way from producing such cars, its emphasis remaining on high-performance models such as the XK 5.0. In 2012 the magazine had one of these fabulous machines for a three-month test, a handsome silver coupe which I drove between London and Edinburgh (see JWM, May p64). I remember it being a great trip, the large and powerful engine making short work of the 400-plus miles.
Fast-forward ten years and EVs have become much more commonplace with most manufacturers, including Jaguar, now having at least one electric car in their line-up.
Ever since I first took one for a quick drive in 2018, I’ve always liked Jaguar’s electric car, the I-PACE, finding it smooth and comfortable yet fast and responsive. But thanks to a limited range and lack of chargers, they haven’t always been the easiest of cars to live with, especially over long journeys. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve frantically looked for power while the range is running out faster than my patience.
But with recent improvements to the car’s batteries plus major investment in the British charging network, can the I-PACE repeat what I did with the XK in 2012 and take me between London and Edinburgh? Or will I be like Donald Trump in 2020 and simply run out of power?
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DRIVE STORY I-PACE
According to a famous saying, 5am is the hour when legends are either waking up or going to bed. It’s also when London is at its eerily quietest and as I reach my start point, Christopher Wren’s magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral, I feel like I’m an extra in a postapocalyptic movie. With 400 miles to cover, there’s no time to wonder if the world has been taken over by zombies so I hit the drive button on the dash and at 5.07am precisely, make my way to the A1.
Originating around the corner from St Paul’s at the Rotunda (a large roundabout beneath the Museum of London) and ending 396 miles away in Edinburgh, the A1 is the longest numbered road in the UK. There might be mo
