Speaking to GoAutoNews Premium last week at the I-Pace national media launch in Sydney, JLR Australia product public affairs manager James Scrimshaw said all 45 local Jaguar dealerships have been prepared for the BEV, with staff given technical and safety training.
“We haven’t just said that there’s half of our dealers in metros that are able to sell these cars, and we haven’t just trained the guys in the metros, we’ve trained everyone in the dealer network, right around the country,” he said.
“In all places, those guys have been trained up in sales and service. So, it is available everywhere. Through this month, everyone will have stock and be doing demos in the next two weeks.”
Mr Scrimshaw said each Jaguar dealership will also be fitted with at least two chargers, with the exact number of units depending on the size of the individual operation.
“Each dealer selling our Jaguar cars has to have a range of chargers,” he said. “If you have a Jaguar sign on the front, you have to have chargers … if you don’t, we’ll take the brand off you. You just can’t be a non-EV guy and say we’re not putting chargers in.
“There are different chargers. When you think about it, you’ve got to have some in the workshop … (but) a customer’s not going to drive into the middle of the workshop floor and plug in on the hoist … so there’ll be another one outside – they’ll probably be working around with all the cars in the lot that are moving around, but there will be something that can be plugged in.
“A lot of those are being rolled out through dealers now. A lot of them are already in dealers, but, in Australia, we don’t have 100 per cent of them all installed yet. But everything’s engaged; they are building or delivering right now.”
While chargers will soon be available at all Jaguar dealerships, Mr Scrimshaw said I-Pace owners should still first consider using other public charging networks before making an unannounced trip to a showroom.
It’s not a thing we can suggest at the moment, saying: ‘Just go to a dealer and charge your car’, because it’s not going to be there,” he said.
“The dealer may have a new car he’s getting (pre-delivered) today for a customer picking up tonight. If that car needs five hours’ charge, then, ‘Sorry, customer. I can’t let you charge one if I’ve got a new customer.’
“So, it won’t work that way until they actually put together a plan and make availability and let customers come in. You just can’t expect to go to every dealer and charge all of the time, because they may just be busy. That’s not the solution we’re after.”
JLR Australia’s dealer network will further rely on its charging network when plug-in hybrid versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport SUVs launch next year.
Jaguar I-Pace
‘A period of education’
JAGUAR Land Rover (JLR) Australia says it is now entering “a period of education” for its first battery-electric vehicle, the I-Pace mid-size SUV, with range anxiety one of several issues it is looking to combat in its next marketing campaign.
Speaking to journalists last week at the I-Pace national media launch in Sydney, JLR Australia managing director Mark Cameron was frank about the lingering challenges in marketing a BEV to the masses.
“Key for us right now is we’re not just launching a new car, we’re in a period of education,” he said. “Yes, the market has been created by Tesla, but actually we’re still communicating with customers around what is it to own an electric car.
“There are many questions that we’re encountering; barriers in people’s mind about whether they can take that leap to electrification. I think a lot of the attributes of the I-Pace, and cars to follow shortly after, answer those questions.”
Range anxiety is shaping as a key issue for JLR Australia, but with 470km of range under the World harmonised Light vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) standard, the I-Pace is among the best in the market.
By Justin Hilliard
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