JLR, the company that used to be known as Jaguar Land Rover, has announced details about its battery sourcing strategy for next-generation models.
The automaker told investors on June 12 that its future EVs will offer a driving range of up to 450 miles thanks to battery cells sourced from Indian company Agratas Energy Storage Solutions. JLR and recently founded Agratas are both owned by India’s industrial conglomerate Tata Group.
Agratas, which is reportedly looking at both the UK and Spain as a location to build a cell plant in Europe, is expected to initially manufacture the batteries at a facility it is currently setting up ain Gujarat, India. The factory is expected to have an initial capacity of 20 Gigawatt-hours, which could double in the second phase of expansion.
The Indian company will be responsible for the cell design and manufacturing, while JLR will oversee the design and production of the cell pack.
According to Autocar, JLR said at the company’s investor day event in London that batteries from Agratas would have a much higher energy density than those in its only EV, the Jaguar I-Pace.
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JLR head of product engineering, Thomas Müller, said the new batteries would give 120 kilowatt-hours from 342 liters of cell capacity, compared with 84 kWh from 387 liters in the I-Pace’s battery pack.
A 120-kWh EMA Ultra Range pack would therefore offer a range of up to 450 miles, he added. EMA is the name of the new EV architecture that will be used by smaller EVs from the Range Rover, Discovery, and Defender brands in the future. As for the future Jaguar EV, JLR has already said it would have a range of 434 miles.
Müller also said the new battery would also enable rapid charging, adding 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.
Both JLR and Agratas will collaborate on a battery cell recycling solution, with Müller promising “full transparency across the value chain” regarding sourcing and refining materials for the pack.
The automaker will launch an electric Range Rover next year, followed by a Jaguar four-door GT in 2025. The Jaguar model will be the first of three electric models from the brand.
