Jaguar appears to be gearing up to enter the electric vehicle market within the next two years after filing patents for a total of three new electric cars.
The patents include plans for an EV-Type model, plus additional plans for a cars called the I-Type and the I-Pace, which are believed to be electric versions of the F-TYPE sports car and F-PACE crossover.
It’s believed that the cars will use electric battery technology engineered by Williams Advanced Engineering, with reports stating that Williams has been working with repurposed F-TYPE bodyshells.
Williams has previously been responsible for developing cars for Jaguar which include the C-X75 supercar used in the latest Bond film SPECTRE, and also supplies batteries for the Formula E series.
Williams Advanced Engineering battery technology
Speaking to Autoguide at the New York International Auto Show, Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum reportedly confirmed that Jaguar was getting ready to unveil a “big surprise”.
“Within two years, we’ll have something that’s not driven by a petrol engine,” he said, before joking that it’ll be, “just a couple of hamsters.”
It isn’t yet clear whether any upcoming Jaguar electric cars will be based only on existing platforms or if the marque will develop vehicles on completely unique architectures.
However, given that the company reportedly plans to have its first-ever electric vehicle on market by 2018, it’s expected that more will be revealed in the near future.
