Rumormill: 2012 Jaguar sports car to get Volt-like extended-range hybrid tech?
by Jonathon Ramsey on Jun 15th 2009 at 4:55PM 
Ratan Tata, Jaguar's owner, knows that the future of the company rests on "shiny and new" products. That's why the XE roadster was reportedly moved to the front of the line and given a 2011 release date. If the soothsayers at Motor Trend are correct, Tata also understands that cleaner engines are the future of the industry itself, because the XE could also bolster Jaguar's credentials by reportedly including the option of a Volt-like range-extending hybrid drivetrain.The mooted gas-electric system is a conventional three-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. It is also being suggested by MT that the concept XE may be fitted with that powerplant, but it might not make it to the production version.
If it does come to market, however, the car probably won't have any natural competition at its price point given its green credentials, with the possible exception of the Fisker Karma S. Even if the extended-range hybrid rumor fails to materialize, the coupe is likely to get variants of the company's new 5.0-liter V8 engine range, which presently offers up to 510-horsepower in supercharged form...
[Source: Motor Trend]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
waiownsyou 5:08PM (6/15/2009)
"Volt-like"
Reply
BoxerFanatic 5:11PM (6/15/2009)
Sports car and hybrid should not be in the same sentence.
Hybrid drive, as it exists, adds weight, complexity, and those things hinder performance potential.
A sports car is not an economy car, that is the point. A sports car is not supposed to have fundamental compromises, and fuel economy at the cost of complexity and weight is defeating the point.
Perspective and fundamental understanding of purpose is GONE. This is just another example.
Reply
chuck 6:17AM (6/16/2009)
Stop trying to hold back inevitable progress. Hybrid systems can substantially boost performance AND fuel economy. An electric motor giving 100% of the torque 100% of the time, with a little gas generator to recharge the batteries on longer trips, sounds like it would make for an amazing sports car
BoxerFanatic 10:25AM (6/16/2009)
Then obviously you don't understand the purpose of a SPORTS CAR, nor the drawbacks of battery technology.
If you had made the above statement, but left the word "sports" off... You might have somewhat of a point, although it would not be an inexpensive form of an economy car, as hybrid tech is not inexpensive. Perhaps a premium efficiency car would be a better classification.
A sports car is not about that. A sports car is about designing the purest driving machine possible, and packaging it for the road. (a race car would be a similar philosophy of the purest competitive performer built for the track.)
Power is not even the primary criteria. Almost ANY car can be given more power, possibly even more power than it's chassis can handle.
A sports car is not about the long trip. It is not about the commute. It is not about day to day efficiency, nor really caring how much the fuel costs. It is about a purely designed machine with a single focus... to PERFORM as well as it's design will allow. the drivetrain serves that purpose with proper amounts of flexible power application to take advantage of the chassis, it should never define the purpose in a sports car.
A car defined by it's drivetrain is either an eco-mobile, which is NOT about performance, or a Muscle car that is not about handling, only about power, or it is some other format of a car, like a sedan, or a truck, or whatever, that power has been added to after the fact of what the vehicle was designed to do.
Progress for the sake of political correctness is bullcrap, and not progress at all.
Progress would be developing a BETTER system, not convoluting an existing system with more weight, more complexity, and compromised purpose. Hybrid tech is an add-on afterthought to a normal internal combustion drivetrain, it is not a purpose-designed system, optimized to perform. As long as that is the case, it does not belong in a purpose built sports car.
Buy a Prius, and leave the sports cars to those who know what that means.
Michael Crush World 12:32PM (6/16/2009)
"Sports car and hybrid should not be in the same sentence."
Actual aruging aside, this is probably one of the most ironic sentences ever.
docherty2000 5:13PM (6/15/2009)
Why has the diesel / electric powertrain taken so long to come to the car industry. Trains have been using this technology for over 50 years. Why is it so hard to get a small diesel motor to power electric motors with a battery in parallel? Allow this battery to be charged on a 15/30 amp circuit, its party time.
Reply
inline6 5:54PM (6/15/2009)
1) A diesel engine costs about $2000 more to make than a comparable petrol engine. Diesel engines are also heavier.
2) A diesel engine that meets American emissions regs costs an approximate additional $4,000 in emissions equipment alone. The equipment also reduces the fuel economy of said engines.
3) A Hybrid powertrain system adds at least $7,500 in cost and complexity to a vehicle. And lots and lots of weight.
4) Diesel has fluctuated more wildly in price in the US in the last year than petrol has. It's also not quite as easily available as petrol because not all stations offer diesel.
So a diesel/electric hybrid might work if the technologies weren't so expensive.
Tell me, would you buy a 3,800lb Honda Civic for $35k if it got 70mpg?
nrb 11:58AM (6/16/2009)
All three major manufacturers did it back in the early 90's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNGV
The problem then was cost and practicality. Some things have gotten better and some worse (see inline6's notes). Will it happen again? Yes. Is it ready for prime time now? Probably not.
Also comparisons to locomotive engines is understandable, but a little over board. The scale at which locomotives work is well beyond that of a motor vehicle. Also, they're series hybrids. I don't know this, but I heard the driving factor was that they needed more torque at the wheels than a diesel engine could provide.
bfgusa 6:13PM (6/15/2009)
Hybrids bore me.
On another (related though) topic...I test drove the Tesla Roadster this weekend and it is amazing! 3.9 seconds from 0 to 60 with max. torque from the get-go. Unique experience.
It actually sounds and feels like you're on one of those electric tramways switching terminals in an airport...but the accelerated version of it. Really it is an interesting car. The only reason I would not buy it is 1) price (still too expensive) and 2) no sound (nothing beats a nice 6 or 8)...
Reply
chuck 6:20AM (6/16/2009)
You should reconsider. The Tesla roadster could easily be retrofit with a small generator, which would make it a hybrid and eliminate the inconvenience of not being able to take it on trips
Alex 9:01AM (6/16/2009)
I'm all for the parallel hybrid system, but I want to see the engineers using more efficient and lighter engines like those from a motorcycle. A 750cc parallel twin has more than enough power to charge the batteries and it compact size and weight would help offset the batteries.
Reply
Adam 9:48AM (6/16/2009)
Uh, yeah. Right. A three-cylinder plug-in hybrid/extended range EV in three years from a company with no experience in this area.
I'd ask MT to share their mood-altering drugs with the rest of the crowd...
Reply