JAGUAR C-X75
CONCEPT
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE ELECTRIC SUPERCAR
UNVEILED AT PARIS
- Stunning range-extended electric
supercar concept
- A celebration of 75 years of
beautiful, fast Jaguars, points the way to a new design language
- Capable of reaching 205mph
(330km/h), sprinting from 0-62mph (100km/h) in just 3.4 seconds and blistering
acceleration from 50-90mph (80-145km/h) in just 2.3 seconds
- Four powerful 195bhp (145kW)
electric motors ? one for each wheel - produce 778bhp and an astonishing total
torque output of 1,180lb ft (1,600Nm)
- Two micro gas-turbines, spinning at
80,000 rpm, can generate enough electricity to extend the range to a remarkable
560 miles (900 km); and produce just 28 grams of CO2 per kilometer from the
car?s plug-in charge capability
- A zero tailpipe emissions range of
68 miles (109km) while running solely on battery power
PARIS, September 29,
2010 - Jaguar has
revealed a stunning range-extended electric supercar concept car. The C-X75 has
been designed to celebrate 75 years of the marque and provide a glimpse into the
future of Jaguar and its commitment to producing beautiful, fast cars powered by
sustainable means.
?The C-X75 is a
tribute to the people who shaped the iconic Jaguars that are revered to this
day. By making it an innovative test-bed for the technologies of tomorrow, it
also ensures that our reputation for engineering excellence will continue for
another 75 years and beyond.?
Mike O?Driscoll, Managing Director,
Jaguar Cars
75 Years of Jaguar
Design
The C-X75
hints at an exciting evolution of Jaguar's design language while paying homage
to some of its most admired cars of years gone by. Advanced design features such
as a ground-breaking propulsion system and active aerodynamics allow for an
elegantly simple fuselage section that remains stable at very high
speeds.
The C-X75 is
finished in Jetstream Silver, its designers staying true to the long-held Jaguar
design philosophy of natural, flowing lines and simple, elegant forms. Where
inspiration from the past was found is in the innovative engineering and
functional design elements of cars like the 1950s C-Type and D-Type racers and
unique 1966 XJ13 Le Mans prototype ? a car described by Callum as, ?arguably the
most beautiful Jaguar ever made.?
Shorter and lower
than the current crop of supercars, its exterior design is about pure
performance with a simple central fuselage surrounded by prominent wheel arches.
Thanks to the packaging efficiencies provided by the absence of a conventional
piston engine, the car?s designers had maximum freedom in placing the mechanical
components and creating the most elegant engineering package
available.
?The C-X75 is
everything a Jaguar should be. It possesses remarkable poise and grace yet at
the same time has the excitement and potency of a true supercar. You could argue
this is as close to a pure art form as a concept car can get and we believe it
is a worthy homage to 75 years of iconic Jaguar design.?
Ian Callum, Design Director, Jaguar
Cars
Propulsion
system
The 205mph
(330km/h) four-wheel drive supercar is capable of running in purely electric
(zero tailpipe emissions) mode for 68 miles (109km) on a six-hour domestic
plug-in charge. The innovative, lightweight micro gas-turbines are also capable
of very quickly and efficiently recharging the Lithium-ion batteries, giving the
car a theoretical range of 560 miles (900km).
This remarkable
range-extension system is a result of Jaguar?s research engineers adopting a
clean-sheet approach to the question of powering the supercars of the future.
The C-X75 turns to the very latest evolution of a pioneering British technology:
the gas turbine.
Developed in
partnership with Bladon Jets, the miniaturized turbine blade - the first viable
axial-flow micro-turbine - increases the compression and efficiency of micro
gas-turbines to the point at which they can be viewed as a realistic power
source. Each of the micro gas-turbines weighs just 35kg and produces 94 bhp
(70kW) of power at a constant 80,000rpm.
Power and
control
The energy
created by the turbines and stored in the batteries is transmitted to the road
using four independent electric motors. Using individual motors has benefits in
terms of weight-saving and distribution, packaging and efficiency. Each motor
weighs just 50kg but produces 195bhp (145kW) of power and an astonishing
combined total torque output of 1,180lb ft
(1,600Nm).
Because each wheel
is driven by its own electric motor, the C-X75 is four-wheel drive ? with all
the traction, grip and safety benefits that entails ? without the weight
disadvantages of a purely mechanical set-up. Inherent in this drivetrain is the
ability to independently vector torque to each wheel across the full speed
range. This offers potential benefits in terms of stability and control,
creating an infinitely and instantaneously adjustable traction and stability
control system.
Driver-focused
cabin
With the
seats fixed, the steering wheel, controls, main binnacle and pedal box all
adjust towards the driver. The seats are attached to the bulkhead as in a
single-seater racing car, and air to feed the turbines passes smoothly around
them via channels in the structure of the body.
A new interface for
the driver has also been created for the C-X75 using high-resolution TFT
screens. Building on Jaguar?s 10-year expertise in touchscreen technology, the
Jaguar Co-Pilot display in the centre console supports the driver in extracting
the full potential of the C-X75 by seamlessly managing
information.
The main driver
information screen is housed within the instrument binnacle. Needles float on
the periphery of the twin cowls and sweep round the outer edge to display the
status and rpm of the two turbines. The design team combined designs from
instrumentation in the new XJ saloon with those from fighter aircraft to create
virtual 3D ?gimbals? around which the gauges wrap and rotate to provide status
updates.
75 years of
innovation
"Performance through innovation has
always been a Jaguar trademark. From the beginning, cars such as the C-Type and
D-Type pioneered aluminum construction, aerodynamic design, racing monocoques
and disc brakes. The C-X75 demonstrates that Jaguar is still leading the field
automotive design and technology. And will always continue to build beautiful,
fast cars."
Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer,
Jaguar
Land
Rover
Advanced aluminum lightweight
construction
Jaguar?s
expertise in the use of aluminum stretches back more than 50 years to the first
XK120s, through the lightweight E-Types, the XK and all-new 2010 XJ. It was with
this latter creation that Jaguar fully realized the lightweight metal?s benefits
to performance, agility, economy and sustainability in a luxury
car.
The C-X75 naturally
follows the same construction techniques with an extruded and bonded
aerospace-inspired aluminum chassis clad in panels of the same material. Not
only does this save weight, crucial in a car with an extreme performance
envelope, but aluminum is one of the most easily recyclable metals available,
boosting the C-X75?s sustainability as well as its
speed.
Active
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics
have always played a large part in Jaguar design with the late designer Malcolm
Sayer elevating it into an art form in cars such as the XJ13, the prototype from
which the C-X75 draws inspiration.
Jaguar has increased
the design?s aerodynamic efficiency dramatically by opening the front grille and
brake cooling vents only when necessary. At the rear corners of the car vertical
control surfaces automatically engage at higher speeds to direct airflow aft of
the rear wheels for increased stability and
efficiency.
The carbon-fiber
rear diffuser, a crucial element in guiding airflow under the car and creating
downforce includes an active aerofoil, which is lowered automatically as speed
increases. Vanes in the exhaust ports then alter the directional flow of the
gases to further increase the effectiveness of the Venturi
tunnel.
