Autonomous I-Pace Demonstration Hits the Streets of Dubai
Rolling around Dubai World Trade Centre on opening day of self-driving conference, I-Pace hints at a driverless future to come.
The I-Pace is just one part of a vision Jaguar has for the future. It’s certainly the best-looking electric vehicle in the world, something not even Tesla can claim anymore. It’s also capable of hitting the track, as the electric cat has its own series in tandem with Formula E (a series Jaguar is also a part of, via Panasonic Jaguar Racing). And the best part is you can own one right now, just in time for the next decade to come.
And speaking of the 2020s and beyond, the I-Pace is also serving as a test bed for autonomous driving technologies. United Arab Emirates online publication The National recently caught sight of such a Jaguar making the rounds on the streets of Dubai during the Roads and Transport Authority’s Congress for Self-Driving.
“The vehicle is one of a kind, but we expect to see more cars like this in future,” said Jaguar Land Rover autonomous driving engineer Allan Howling. “How fast that happens depends on legislation and customer acceptance, not just the technology.”
The I-Pace autonomous prototype spent the first day of the conference showing off how far along the technology has come along, travelling a pre-programmed route surrounding the Dubai World Trade Centre. The electric Jaguar was equipped with front and rear radar, a GPS receiver on the roof, and a stoplight camera, all to guide the cat around town.
“If we were doing more driving around Dubai, we would need an awful lot more sensors,” said Jaguar safety driver Jim O’Donoghue. “We’ve assessed this route around Zabeel so we can use minimal sensors. It has been challenging to take the technology into an electric car, but we believe this will be the future of driving. Using an engine is easier than an electric motor because automatic braking and accelerating is a smoother process.”
The battery in the I-Pace also loses a ton of range under heat of the desert sun over Dubai. Whereas it has enough charge for some 260 miles back home in England, the range with the AC running non-stop in Dubai is just 155 miles. Thus, it’ll be a while yet before electric autonomous cars are ready for long trips around the Persian Gulf.
“This technology will slowly progress over the next five to 10 years,” O’Donoghue said. “We know that 94% of accidents are caused by driver error so this will improve safety and reduce congestion.”
The Roads and Transport Authority believes 25% of all travel in Dubai will be autonomous by the start of the 2030s. We like to think some of those trips will be taken by some future version of the I-Pace or another Jaguar.
Photos and video: The National
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