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Jag XJ joins the green party

Revolutionary Limo Green is a hybrid big cat promising planet-friendly luxury motoring

Jag XJ joins the green party

Text: Ken Gibson / Photos: Jeremy Williams

May 2010

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IT’S Jaguar’s new green machine! While the Coventry firm has a long and rich heritage for building British Racing Green-coloured cars that set the pace for rivals, well, here’s one that turns the theme on its head.

This very special XJ – nicknamed Limo Green – is a prototype of a super efficient 57mpg petrol and electric-powered Jaguar of the future. And if the firm’s plans come good, executive car owners will all be motoring in silence in the hybrid in just five years’ time.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Jaguar XJ

 

Although it may look identical to the sleek and stately new XJ – save for some stickers on the sills – but underneath it’s a different story. The car is powered by a 145kw electric motor, a 360 volt battery and an 80bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder Lotus-developed petrol engine. Battery power delivers the real performance, while the smaller petrol engine ensures you aren’t stuck when the other powerplant goes flat.

The arrangement is similar to the system in Vauxhall’s Ampera – but in the Jaguar, the 1.2-litre engine provides power directly to the rear wheels. In the Ampera, the unit only charges the battery.

It’s a system that sees the big Jaguar limousine manage 30 miles on pure electric power, and offer an extended petrol and electric range of over 600 miles. On a long run, the car will return 57mpg, while Jaguar aims to get CO2 emissions down to 50g/km – figures that would make it free of road tax and congestion charges. 

The Limo Green shows that Jaguar is at the cutting edge, despite the fact that the firm lacks the huge research budgets of rivals in the executive car world. Although it did receive funding from the Government’s Technology Strategy Board for the Limo Green project. The car is a test bed for pioneering technology, such as materials that reduce the weight of a car that is over 17 foot long.

The prototype is still in the earlier stages of development so it’s not perfect. Occasionally, after you’ve pressed the start button and got used to the eerie silence, you hear a slight clunking from the automatic transmission, mostly heard as the throttle is pressed – but it’s still mightily impressive stuff. And already it’s capable of running 30 miles solely on electric power – we did over 20 miles on electric power alone before the electric engine fired up.

The Limo Green is quick, too, 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds, although the top speed is only around 80mph, but Jaguar says it will eventually have a top speed in excess of 100mph when it goes into full production. We can’t wait for it to go on sale.

For an alternative review of the latest Jaguar XJ visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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15 Comments

Great News and Super Progress for Jaguar

These are really great steps into the future and the compeition in Stuttgart and Munich is certainly no further ahead.

Would not a small encapsuled turbo charged 4 cylinder diesel power unit with about 140 PS and higher torque 350 plus NM be more effective in this role?

Keep up the good work Jaguar!

By vandenplas4litre on 4 June, 2010, 10:32am

Growl

Futures turning away from fossil power...

And Bloody Excellent news too in my books!!!

Fuel-cell is the powerplant of the future and hopefully the BIG manufacturers will help share costs and technology for the benefit of the industry and mankind in general...

Peer into Honda`s R & D division for the future glimpses of fuel cell technology.

By LegioIXHispana on 5 June, 2010, 8:38pm

Be nice to get the facts right

While I applaud the ideas behind this, an 80bhp motor in an XJ won't be able to deliver 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds so the petrol motor will be something like a space-saver spare. It will get you home, but you don't want to rely on it. In a series hybrid you could claim that 80bhp would be enough, if running all the time, to keep the battery topped up when driving in a spirited way - but the claim here is that the petrol engine propels the car when the battery has drained.
Also, bit of a typo to say "we did over 20 miles on electric power alone before the electric engine fired up"

By aje21 on 7 June, 2010, 1:17pm

Growl??

LegioXHispana is missing an important point. Fuel cells simply turn fuel into electricity, which then drives electric motors to provide motive power. They have the potential to be more efficient than an internal combustion engine providing motive power directly, but they still need fuel.

Most excitement seems to revolve around hydrogen fuel cells. But where does the hydrogen come from? It takes as much energy to make hydrogen as it gives back when it is burnt or consumed in a fuel cell. (Actually, slightly more.)

Therefore hydrogen is not an energy source, merely a way of storing energy.

Where does that energy come from? Currently, the vast majority of hydrogen is made from consuming fossil fuels.

So, at the moment, it would be entirely wrong to suggest that fuel cells reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. Only when a large part of our energy is produced from non-fossil fuel sources can the hydrogen fuel cell play a helpful role.

Even then, a hydrogen fuel cell economy would require a vast infrastructure for the production, delivery and storage of hydrogen, which is a very tricky fuel to handle. The case for it is by no means clear.

Of course, you can get fuel cells that consume fossil fuels directly, but again the only advantage is the potential for lower emissions and - perhaps one day - higher efficiency. Right now, they look like a dead end.

By Thack on 8 June, 2010, 8:52am

Getting the facts right

aje21 raises an interesting point. The technical description is disappointingly imprecise.

As far as I can tell, the motor normally operates at a constant speed (when required), driving a generator which then charges the battery (like the Ampere). But also it can drive the rear wheels directly (like the Prius).

The report should be much clearer about this.

Presumably the 80hp petrol engine will assist the electric motors when the driver demands maximum performance, giving some 270-odd bhp between them, which would be plenty.

At other times, the motor simply switches to battery-charging mode, and the driver has some 145kW (about 190hp) on tap from the electric motors.

As aje21 says, in the unlikely event that the battery cannot be kept charged by a constant supply of 80hp, then at least you've got 80hp to keep you moving.

This is speculation - I wish the article had explained this better. It is, after all, at the crux of the new technology.

By Thack on 8 June, 2010, 9:01am

Charles Darley

Presumably in town, its more efficient to run on electric with the petrol engine charging the battery. At a steady 70 on the motorway, ite better to run on the petrol engine directly.

By catriona55 on 8 June, 2010, 10:17am

Re: Charles Darley

I think catriona55 has made a good point. At steady cruising speeds it will almost certainly be better to drive the wheels directly from the petrol engine, rather than adding the extra inefficiencies of the generator and electric motors into the chain.

I hope Auto Express will give us a few more details, so we don't have to rely on informed speculation.

By Thack on 8 June, 2010, 11:34am

Sorry!

What? My message keeps duplicating itself. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience and hope the moderator might remove the duplicates.

By Thack on 8 June, 2010, 1:41pm

Thack???

Would you not agree that fossil fuels are rapidly coming to an evolutionary end...

Sooner or later Fossil fuel will be either to expensive or to limited in their supply through the natural laws of supply and demand...

Remember as developing economies build, they will want there share of the remaining fossil based fuels to drive there own growth pushing up demand and reducing supply...

Most motor manufacturers are now starting addressing this major forthcoming problem of restrictive supply of fossil fuels for private and commercial vehicles for the citizens of the already developed economies of the Western-world and their future.

Hydrogen is being seen very much as the fuel of the future and I believe with a low carbon economy of solar, wind, natural gas and nuclear within a western-economy the future of the fuel cell is a dawning one?

By LegioIXHispana on 8 June, 2010, 3:21pm

LegioXHispana and hydrogen

Well, there are vast untapped quantities of fossil fuels still in the earth. But I agree that CO2 emissions must mean their use will fall away.

My main concern is to emphasise that hydrogen is not a replacement for fossil fuels, because it isn't a primary energy supply. You have to make it, just like you have to make electricity. And in both cases you need SOME kind of primary energy supply for that.

In many respects a hydrogen fuel cell power plant is very similar to rechargeable batteries: both are merely a way of storing and transporting energy, and both need a primary energy supply in the first place to replenish them.

It could be solar, wind, nuclear, or whatever. But here in the UK less than 5% of our electricity comes from renewables (80% from fossil fuels, the rest from nuclear and other bits and bobs).

It's also worth pointing out that - even assuming a doubling of well-to-wheel efficiency - we would need to increase our electricity generating and transmission infrastructure by around a third if it is to take over from petrol/diesel for our road transport. This would be a truly massive undertaking and require tens of billions of investment. It's worth noting that our generating infrastructure will reach critical capacity sometime before 2020 as we are forced to shut down various obsolete coal stations. There's no way we can put a significant extra burden on it in the short to medium term.

So the question remains: where is all the energy going to come from to make the hydrogen (or recharge those batteries)?

Let me close by saying that I am NOT opposed to hydrogen, electricity or any other energy supply for road transport. I'm simply saying that the problems are massive because road transport gets through a colossal amount of energy, and even if we double its efficiency we're still going to need an ENORMOUS new primary energy supply if we move away from fossil fuels.

I think this is primarily a political problem, rather than a technical one. It exceeds the bounds of what the motor industry can do, or indeed the electricity supply industry on its own.

As for fuel cells - they have various advantages over internal combustion engines, but their overall efficiency isn't massively better yet.

By Thack on 8 June, 2010, 5:43pm

LegioXHispana and hydrogen

Well, there are vast untapped quantities of fossil fuels still in the earth. But I agree that CO2 emissions must mean their use will fall away.

My main concern is to emphasise that hydrogen is not a replacement for fossil fuels, because it isn't a primary energy supply. You have to make it, just like you have to make electricity. And in both cases you need SOME kind of primary energy supply for that.

In many respects a hydrogen fuel cell power plant is very similar to rechargeable batteries: both are merely a way of storing and transporting energy, and both need a primary energy supply in the first place to replenish them.

It could be solar, wind, nuclear, or whatever. But here in the UK less than 5% of our electricity comes from renewables (80% from fossil fuels, the rest from nuclear and other bits and bobs).

It's also worth pointing out that - even assuming a doubling of well-to-wheel efficiency - we would need to increase our electricity generating and transmission infrastructure by around a third if it is to take over from petrol/diesel for our road transport. This would be a truly massive undertaking and require tens of billions of investment. It's worth noting that our generating infrastructure will reach critical capacity sometime before 2020 as we are forced to shut down various obsolete coal stations. There's no way we can put a significant extra burden on it in the short to medium term.

So the question remains: where is all the energy going to come from to make the hydrogen (or recharge those batteries)?

Let me close by saying that I am NOT opposed to hydrogen, electricity or any other energy supply for road transport. I'm simply saying that the problems are massive because road transport gets through a colossal amount of energy, and even if we double its efficiency we're still going to need an ENORMOUS new primary energy supply if we move away from fossil fuels.

I think this is primarily a political problem, rather than a technical one. It exceeds the bounds of what the motor industry can do, or indeed the electricity supply industry on its own.

As for fuel cells - they have various advantages over internal combustion engines, but their overall efficiency isn't massively better yet.

By Thack on 8 June, 2010, 7:30pm

Insightful

Thank You Thack, for your reply and I must say you are certainly a man/woman whom has a very solid understanding of the issue...

" So the question remains: where is all the energy going to come from to make the hydrogen (or recharge those batteries)? "

Well I have not researched the subject in any great degree, but my hunch would be new natural gas power stations (with carbon capture technology) and the additional next generation nuclear power-stations to form the basis of providing power for a population of around 70 million combined with its resulting energy requirements?

Yes I agree that fuel cell technology is one that represents a challenge, but we see evidence in America of what way they are thinking... Looking at the Honda portable fuel cell technology and Honda R &D in general, exciting things come from dexterous and innovative minds... If mankind wants to do it, then mankind can achieve it, with the necessary stimuli. (Look how far we have come from the cave already!)

I do believe however that prior to the ideal of fuel-cell technology and infrastructure that the future is small capacity petrol and diesel engines combined with ever improving electric motors and battery technology?

I am no expert though and would be the first to admit it!

What would you like to see Thack? If you had the Power of Dreams?

By LegioIXHispana on 8 June, 2010, 9:03pm

Summary

Just to summarise: electric cars and hydrogen cars give the POTENTIAL to operate road transport on something other than fossil fuels, but they don't - of themselves - act as an alternative energy source. They both require another - primary - energy source to make them.

They offer the POSSIBILITY of running cars on solar, wind, nuclear, etc, energy, rather than on fossil energy.

Therefore they are an essential brick in the wall of green transport, but they do not provide an end-to-end solution. We still need a primary energy source, and it has to be pretty damn big if it's going to replace petrol and diesel.

This is perhaps the most misunderstood fact in the green debate, and Jeremy Clarkson continues to misunderstand it. On several occasions he has stated that "hydrogen is the most plentiful substance in the universe". But its "plentifulness" has never been an issue. The problem is, here on Earth, all the hydrogen is tied up in other compounds (e.g. water), and it takes some other energy supply to extract it and use it as fuel.

That "some other energy supply" is the hard bit, not fuel cell or battery technology.

About my "dreams"....... I want the press to give better informed comment about green issues. I want Clarkson to understand that hydrogen is not, and never can be, an alternative to fossil fuels because it isn't a primary energy source. I want the press to be honest about how little extra capacity we've got in our electricity generating and delivery infrastructure, before harping on about the value of electric cars.

I want an end to the simplistic "green" messages the press showers us with every day.

Going green is very complicated, and rife with challenges, "gotchas", and dogmas that need skewering.

By Thack on 9 June, 2010, 11:29am

The Power of Dreams

What would I like to see if I had the Power of Dreams? What a brilliant question! We could all write a book on it, but I wouldn't dream of inflicting that on you.

I want to see a change in our attitude towards personal transportation. Quite honestly, there is no way people with cars will move en masse to public transport. Individual, personal mobility is astonishingly valuable and won't be relinquished easily.

But take a look around your town. The vast majority of cars have four or five seats, but only one occupant. The vast majority of cars are much bigger - very much bigger - than the space required to enclose their single occupant. (And enormously heavy, too). The vast majority of cars have engines capable of 100+ bhp, but potter around town using a tiny fraction of that, and thus operate way outside their maximum efficiency zone for most of the time.

So I hail the return of the bubble car! This would be SOLELY for short range town use, commuting, etc. Maximum speed would be, what, 45-50mph? Range would be maybe 50 miles? 100? Something like that.

It would be single-seater with room for a modest amount of "on your way home" shopping. It would be as small and light as it could possibly be, commensurate with meeting the safety regs. (On that subject, perhaps some of the regs could be relaxed bearing in mind the limited speed of the vehicle.)

Perhaps you could have a slightly bigger version with two kiddie seats in the back for people on the school run. Or maybe another adult seat, for couples. But still very tiny.

I'd like to see them battery powered, charged from the mains (their small energy useage would impose a relatively small additional load on the grid). Alternatively, models for longer range would utilise a tiny, constant-speed constant-load diesel generator to keep the battery topped up.

I suppose the ultimate expression of this concept is the electric buggy you often see carrying old people around. They aren't really suitable for road use, but that is the technology I'd start from. Start there, and build up to my proposed personal transporter, rather than starting with a normal car and shaving down.

The ACTUAL energy required to carry one person from home to work - or the shops - is minute compared to what each person currently uses in their standard car.

The Prius, and the Jag, both try to be viable alternatives to traditional cars. My "dream" car would be sold as a second car, NOT as a substitute for your traditional car (though for many people it could be).

That's how I use my Jag: it sits on the drive all the time except for the occasional "posh" outing. Normally I use my 85mpg motorbike.

Two-wheelers would be totally unacceptable to most people, of course, but give a motorcycle four wheels, wrap it in weather-proof bodywork, and it starts to look far more attractive for nipping down the road!

In summary - a small-as-possible personal transporter "bubble on wheels", designed specifically for urban use, with limited speed and range and maximum energy efficiency (mains charged, or diesel-generator for the longer range variant). Importantly, not sold as a "car" so it's not competing with normal cars and found wanting. Instead, sold as a road-capable device for use alongside your existing car.

I'd like to see a car hire (or car share) scheme built in to the marketing, to encourage people to actually give up their main car, knowing they've got ready access to one when they really need it (which I know is less often than you'd think).

Plenty of firms you've never heard of have had a go at this concept and failed. But the marketing power (and technical resources) of the big names could change all that. The combination of "green" and "trendy" would encourage sales.

Lots of potential difficulties, of course, but worth a punt.

I could bang on about nuclear power and other "Dreams", but I've hogged far too much of this forum anyway!

Over to you. What would YOU like to see if you had the Power of Dreams?

By Thack on 9 June, 2010, 11:36am

Reply:

Yes Thack thats very comprehensive and thought provoking:

I see that the infrastructure is not really geared up for any sudden jolts to its system...

From what you say; small and light is beautiful and I certainly dont want to disagree with that proposal!

Sir Clive Sinclair had a vision of the C5, it was not a commercial success, but thats probably because the environment (in many ways) was not conjucive to its success at the time... The idea was sound though then and even more sound now!

I see transport down-sizing and further strides in getting towns and cities more geared up for small urban cars and mopeds and motorbikes...These are the most efficent ways of transporting a person using a form of non-human sourced energy propulsion in the form of a motor. (electric, petrol or diesel)

Towns and cities need to have size and weight limits combined with Co2 limits for vehicles that are being used for pleasure, domestic and business uses, whilst recognising freight still needs to enter at some point...

Maybe freight could be restricted to non-commuter times and social / retail times? i.e All freight restricted to between 8pm-6am for being able to enter built up medium-large commercial areas and city centres?

Yes small is beautifull and cars like the Fiat 500 (original) and Mini (original) show a small car can have a big personality...

Cars like the Honda Beat and Daihatsu Copen show style, panache and desirability can be tied into a fun package too!

Imagine a Audi baby TT (Fox sized) with a 1.2 TFSi engine and DSG box... Would be quite some car? Or maybe a Honda S2020 thats got a Fireblade engine and a transverse (F1 style) gear box driving its rear wheels in conjunction with a IMA power source... Heaven?

By LegioIXHispana on 9 June, 2010, 5:15pm

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Jag XJ joins the green party
Jag XJ joins the green party
Jag XJ joins the green party

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FIRST OPINION

    There’s no doubt that the Limo Green is the most important new Jaguar ever built. The Big Cat is understandably proud that this XJ has gone from drawing board concept to running prototype, just 18 months after the electric/hybrid project began. Having driven it, it’s certainly a totally fresh take on luxury transport, compared to a conventional V8-powered limo. There’s a long way to go before the Limo Green is the finished article and the future of Jaguar. But the firm is confident that it will eventually be another key milestone in the firm’s long history.

 

AT A GLANCE

    Price £70,000 (est)
    Engine: 1.2-litre three cylinder, 80bhp (est)
    Electric engine: 145kw motor, 360V battery
    0-60mph: 7.5seconds
    Top speed: 110mph
    Electric range: 30miles
    Total range: 600miles
    Economy 57mpg (combined)
    Standard equipment: Sat-nav, air conditioning, leather seats, electric windows, dvd player, B&W audio system
    On sale: 2015
     
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