Jaguar i-Pace isn’t just an electric SUV. It’s a RACE car too.

The new Jaguar i-Pace electric SUV is going racing, as a one-make series supporting the Formula E circus from late 2018 with i-Pace models from SVO.

Formula E – the electric take of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing – is starting to gain traction, with even Premium makers like Jaguar taking part, and Mercedes joining the fray from 2018.

For Jaguar, and no doubt Mercedes and others, Formula E is a good way to showcase that electric cars don’t have to be just a ‘Green’ option, but can pick up their skirts and hustle on track. At least for a while.

But it also helps in the development of electric road cars too, and that crossover becomes more apparent with the arrival of the first support series for Formula E in 2018 from Jaguar.

Jaguar has decided to go racing with its new i-Pace, and there will be an i-Pace electric support series running at the Formula E weekends from late 2018, which should give watchers something extra to enjoy.

An electric SUV doesn’t seem the obvious choice for a track car, but it will give Jaguar the opportunity to demonstrate the i-Pace is dynamic and sprinkle a bit of track fairy dust on the showroom cars.

The i-Pace eTrophy cars will be fettled by JLR’s SVO, with up to 20 cars taking part, although Jaguar hasn’t revealed what, beyond regulatory necessities, they will be doing to the i-Pace to let it go racing. Although aerodynamic tweaks, less weight and more power seem likely.

Jaguar Racing’s Chairman, Gerd Mäuser, said:

We’ve always said we want to prove our electrification technologies on the track – this is the proof. I am looking forward to seeing a full grid of Jaguar I-PACE racecars in late 2018, soon after the first Jaguar I-PACE hits the road in Europe. Ultimately this innovative series will enhance the technology in our future electric vehicles and benefit our customers.