Jaguar is rapidly approaching the official kickoff of its all-electric future, starting with its all-new EV grand tourer. However, the English automaker must make amends with its first-ever EV—the I-Pace. The I-Pace has gained notoriety as the primary vehicle of choice for autonomous rideshare operator Waymo.
S. are investigating a recall of 2278 units of 2020-2021 model year Jaguar I-Paces due to an overheating high voltage battery. The risk of fire is high, and affected owners should park their electric SUVs outside and away from structures.
A state of charge cap at 90 percent is also insisted upon. The root cause of the overheating recall is attributed to an anode tab folding prone to short circuiting. However, the automaker has yet to publicly identify a secondary cause for the fire condition.
The battery, provided by an LG facility in Wroclaw, Poland, did initially receive protective software related to thermal monitoring, but these measures are not enough to certify fire safety. Despite previous recall campaigns, a small number of post-recall fire events continued through 2024, prompting further investigation and the installation of additional protective software. The issue has now been applied to 2020 and 2021 model year Jaguar I-Pace units.
Unfortunately, there is no immediate, permanent fix for these EVs. Owners will be reminded to park their cars away from structures and to only charge outside; a final remedy will be available under a separate recall. Later I-Pace models produced by LG Energy Solutions have been improved, but 2019-2021 owners should continue to exercise caution as federal officials estimate that 100 percent of these models are at risk.
This recall highlights the importance of rigorous testing and quality control measures in the production of high-voltage batteries. The fact that a small number of post-recall fire events continued through 2024 underscores the need for ongoing monitoring and improvement of safety protocols.
