(August 11, 2012) LONDON — Jaguar Land Rover says it is the largest investor in automotive green technology and innovation in the UK, and this week the company told audiences at the British Business Embassy’s Advanced Engineering, Automotive and Aerospace Summit, of its work to push the boundaries of research into the electrification of premium vehicles and the significant investment opportunities that this technology can create in the UK.

On display outside Lancaster House was the latest example of Jaguar Land Rover’s hybrid engineering research — the Jaguar XJ_e. The vehicle demonstrates how an advanced parallel plug-in hybrid can deliver reductions of CO2 emissions of more than 70 per cent, without compromising the vehicle’s performance.



It is the latest project as part of Jaguar Land Rover’s strategy to develop best in class low carbon premium product and follows other successful hybrid demonstrators such as Limo Green and Range_e vehicles.

Jaguar has unveiled an updated XJ plug-in hybrid prototype at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

Capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in under 6.5 seconds and cruising to a top speed of 150 mph, the XJ prototype, dubbed the XJ_e, delivers performance that’s on par with some sports car models also on show at Goodwood, but with better fuel economy than a compact.

Part funded by the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board through the REEVolution project, the XJ_e has been engineered in partnership with leading UK technology companies to help develop expertise for ultra-low carbon vehicles within the country’s supply chain.

Peter Richings, Director, Hybrids and Electrification at Jaguar Land Rover explains: “Working in collaboration with other major vehicle manufacturers, Jaguar Land Rover has helped to lay the foundations to create a robust and globally competitive UK supply base to support the development of future green technologies, as well as deliver three ground-breaking new demonstrator concepts.”

“With 240 engineers, we have the largest electric and hybrid engineering team in the UK and we believe that our work in this area, combined with the support of the TSB, will continue to drive forward innovation in green technologies.”

The Global Business Summit on Advanced Engineering, Automotive and Aerospace is part of the British Business Embassy program at Lancaster House held during the London Olympic Games.