While the Jaguar I-Pace tends not to be perceived as one of those electric cars that spontaneously burst into flames, that doesn’t mean, well, it can’t happen. And if it does, there’s a pretty good chance its battery cells are to blame.
Four such incidents are now known. The recent fire destroyed a 2019 I-Pace in Florida. The car was reportedly parked in a garage at the time of the accident and was charging. The owner reacted quickly and drove his Jaguar outside (although smoke was already billowing) just before the vehicle caught fire.
The owner chose to drive the car out of the garage, even though it was already smoking, to save his garage and home from also catching fire. As the car parked outside, he reports, he heard more popping noises and the smoke turned into a visible flame that quickly spread throughout the car, completely burning most of the vehicle. As you can see from the pictures, only the front of the I-Pace was spared the flames.
The emergency workers had some problems putting out the fire. Firefighters had to use special foam to completely put an end to the flames. The owner noted that the insurance company sent a forensic team to investigate the incident. The car was unsurprisingly classified as a total loss.
Jaguar then grabbed the burned-out I-Pace to conduct its investigation. So far, however, the manufacturer has not presented a resolution.
According to Gonzalo Salazar, Jaguar wasn’t helpful in this case and the carmaker hasn’t taken responsibility for the incident. However, you still have to present the results of your investigations.
As previously mentioned, this is the fourth documented Jaguar I-Pace fire under very similar conditions. The fact that this electric car’s batteries contain the same LG Chem cells as the Chevrolet Bolt’s batteries could be cause for concern. The Bolt had to be recalled as a result. This also applies to Hyundai Kona Electric, which is also on the road with problematic battery cells.
