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Jaguar's Callum: 'Huge' opportunities with electric vehicles

Eventually, some brave innovator, with an imagination light years ahead of the rest of us mere mortals, will envision an automotive future that the rest of us can't conceive. This person will step up and tell us how electric vehicles have the potential to change our lives for the better. They'll have the guts to tell us that if we could only open our eyes, we'd see that there's a way to get from one place to another that doesn't pollute the air we breathe. They'll explain that it won't just be globally responsible, it'll be magnificent. Yes, the electric car needs a champion, a figurehead, someone so inspirational that comic book superheroes are modeled after him. Finally, that champion has revealed himself. Saying out loud what the enlightened few of us know but dare not utter for fear of ridicule, our hero has spoken. "Electrification will kickstart the biggest change in automotive design in history," Ian Callum, design director at Jaguar told Autocar. That Jaguar sees the potential for electric vehicles is welcome progress. Sarcasm aside, that Jaguar sees the potential for electric vehicles is welcome progress. Even more appealing is that Callum approaches the potential of EVs from a design angle, where the slate is essentially blank, he feels, and so much is possible. "The opportunities an electric powertrain offers are huge," Callum says, "especially in terms of the space for occupants. By removing so much of the mechanical hardware and placing the batteries in the floor plan you open up all sorts of possibilities with packaging." To peer into Callum's mind when it comes to EV design would be extraordinary to behold. In many ways, his vision truly is something most of us cannot grasp completely, having spent a long career designing some of the most desirable cars of our time for some of the most prestigious automotive brands on the planet. So when he talks about the freedom EVs present from a design standpoint, it's not difficult to get excited. A Jaguar EV isn't as far-fetched as it might seem at first. Plus, a Jaguar EV isn't as far-fetched as it might seem at first, as Callum explains. "I'm clear in my mind that an electric Jaguar would be suitable for the brand," he says. "You have to move with the times and design for the opportunities. Look at the C-X75 concept – that was a car that was designed for an alternative powertrain, and nobody had any complaints about how that looked.

Jaguar Land Rover planning to allow owners to earn cryptocurrency

Jaguar Land Rover, Britain's largest auto manufacturer, said on Monday it is testing software that will allow drivers of its cars to earn the IOTA cryptocurrency as a reward for sharing data. The company is developing what it calls "smart wallet" technology to be installed in its automobiles. This would reward Jaguar car drivers with IOTA coins for actions such as enabling their vehicles to automatically report useful data, such as traffic congestion or potholes to navigation providers or local authorities. Drivers could also earn rewards if the car participates in a ride-sharing program, Jaguar said. The tokens earned could be used to pay for tolls, parking and charging for electric cars. The overall goal was to "achieve zero emissions, zero accidents, and zero congestion," the company said. Global car companies are exploring blockchain applications, figuring out different ways in which they can leverage the technology to suit their different needs. Blockchain, the system powering cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, is a shared database that is maintained by a network of computers connected to the internet. The British car company is testing the technology at the new Jaguar Land Rover software engineering base in Shannon, Ireland, where engineers have already equipped several vehicles, including the Jaguar F-PACE and Range Rover Velar, with "smart wallet" features, the company said. It does not yet have a timetable for when it will be commercially available, said Jaguar, a subsidiary of Tata Motors. The IOTA token is based on a distributed ledger technology that enables people and machines to transfer money and data without any transaction fees. IOTA trades on digital asset exchanges and was last at 27 U.S. cents per token. "The smart wallet technology ... can be easily adapted into all new vehicles," Dominik Schiener, IOTA co-founder and co-chairman of its board, told Reuters on Friday. "IOTA wants to enable interoperability with all these different players. So there is no Jaguar coin, no BMW coin, but one universal token for this machine economy," he added.

Watch Jaguar build its XJR Rapid Response Vehicle for Bloodhound SSC

Last month, Jaguar revealed an F-Type specially equipped to serve as a Rapid Response Vehicle for the Bloodhound SSC. Now it's rolled out a pair of XJRs kitted out for the same purpose. Set to debut when test pilot Andy Green drives one up the hill at Goodwood later this month, the Jaguar XJR Rapid Response Vehicle has been equipped by Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations division. As you can see, it's got a special livery of blue and orange to mimic the rocket- and jet-powered streamliner's own color scheme, and has been stripped out and fitted with a roll cage and specially crafted tools for the land speed record attempt. Of course, the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 carries over with its 550 horsepower to propel it to 60 in 4.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 174 miles per hour. Alongside the F-Type – which recently undertook a parachute deployment test – the pair of XJR Rapid Response Vehicles will be on hand in South Africa when the Bloodhound attempts to break the land speed record as well as the sound barrier on dry land. Check out the build process in the video. Jaguar Rapid Response Vehicles for Bloodhound SSC to Star at Goodwood Festival of Speed - Bespoke Jaguar XJR Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) for Bloodhound SSC to make dynamic world debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed - Current world land speed record holder Andy Green to drive the 16MY XJR RRV up the Goodwood hill on Saturday 27 June 2015 - Bloodhound's RRV Fleet now includes two XJRs and an F-TYPE custom-built by Jaguar Land Rover's Special Operations team - Jaguar's history in supporting world land speed records dates back to 1983 with an XJ12 for Richard Noble's record attempt in Thrust 2 Jaguar is to further showcase its commitment as Technical and Innovation Partner to the Bloodhound Project with the world debut of its custom-built XJR Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) at Goodwood Festival of Speed, alongside the recently unveiled F-TYPE R AWD RRV. One of two XJRs being provided for the record attempts will be on show at the festival and will also take part in the First Glance hill run on Saturday 27 June 2015 with current world land speed record holder and Bloodhound SSC driver Andy Green at the wheel. The two new additions to Bloodhound's fleet are the latest creation of Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division and are wrapped in a bespoke livery created by Jaguar Design incorporating the Bloodhound SSC colours.