Jaguar Type 01 EV packs 73% aluminium and 1,015 hp into its electric reboot

Jaguar has unveiled the Type 01, the first model built on its new Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA), and it is not exactly arriving quietly. With 73% aluminum, a 118kWh battery, three electric motors and a rather serious 1,015 horsepower (hp), the new electric grand tourer is Jaguar’s answer to a simple question: what happens when a century-old luxury carmaker decides to start over?

The answer, apparently, is a very large piece of aluminum with no rear window.

From a gloomy reset to a 1,015-hp comeback

The Type 01 is the product of a long and fairly dramatic reset at Jaguar. After years of declining sales, the company ended production of the XE, XF and F-Type in 2024 as it moved towards an all-electric future. By the end of 2025, Jaguar had stopped producing vehicles altogether.

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That made the arrival of the Type 01 rather important. This is not simply another new model joining a crowded showroom; it is effectively Jaguar putting its chips on the table.

The development program has already produced more than 360 patent applications, with Jaguar calling the Type 01 the most advanced car it has engineered — even putting it ahead of the legendary XJ220.

The new EV rides on the Jaguar Electric Architecture, a platform developed specifically for battery-electric vehicles. Jaguar says its engineers also borrowed a racing-development mindset from Jaguar TCS Racing while working on the car.

And then there is the aluminum.

73% aluminum does the heavy lifting

The Type 01 uses 73% aluminum in its underpinnings, delivering torsional rigidity of approximately 38,100 lb-ft per degree. Its 118kWh battery is connected directly to the chassis, alongside a vertically stacked electric motor and gearbox.

Jaguar describes the car as having the “strongest underpinnings of any Jaguar ever made.” The architecture is designed to improve rigidity, handling, ride comfort and cabin refinement, essentially aiming for a very fast EV feel like a very expensive Jaguar, rather than a battery pack with wheels.

The battery itself is doing some clever gymnastics. Instead of simply sitting underneath the cabin and pushing the roofline upwards, it extends ahead of the passenger compartment. Special Tri-Apex Node structural elements can absorb 28.7 tonnes of force in a frontal impact, while the battery pack absorbs 70% of crash energy in a side impact.

The clever packaging also makes room for 32 additional cells, which Jaguar says can contribute up to 70 miles of range and 148 hp. A patent-pending structural high-voltage junction box sits between the front wheels and doubles as a front-suspension strut brace. Even the battery connectors have been moved to the sides of the cells rather than the top, allowing 80% of the pack height to be used for energy storage.

The result is a car with 50:50 weight distribution, an 850-volt architecture and an estimated range of up to 400 miles with its optional 21-inch wheels. Charging can reach 350kW, adding around 200 miles of range in approximately 13 minutes.

And then, just in case anyone was wondering whether Jaguar had gone a little too sensible, the three-motor setup delivers 1,015 hp and 1,007 lb-ft of torque. The Type 01 reaches 62 mph from a standstill in 3.1 seconds and gets to 112 mph another four seconds later.

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Meet the “Impossible Panel”

The aluminum story does not stop beneath the skin. The Type 01’s body panels are also made from aluminum, and one particular panel has apparently tested the patience and ingenuity of Jaguar’s engineers.

The rear quarter panel contains five planes and three feature lines that converge at a single point. Engineers spent more than 1,500 hours perfecting the pressing process, earning it the wonderfully dramatic name “The Impossible Panel.”

It takes a six-stage process and a four-storey-high machine capable of applying 2,500 tonnes of pressure to produce it.

The rest of the body had to be equally aerodynamic. More than 7,000 wind-tunnel tests helped bring the drag coefficient down to 0.23. Jaguar says trimming just millimeters from the front corners and redirecting airflow along the sides and rear added 12 miles of range.

So yes, apparently a few millimeters can matter quite a lot when you are building a 1,015-hp EV.

Flush electric door handles, a three-stage spoiler and active vanes add to the aerodynamic package.

A Jaguar that really does not want to look ordinary

If the engineering sounds serious, the styling is considerably less restrained.

The Type 01 carries the dramatic design language of the Type 00 concept, with a tall, squared-off body, broad shoulders and plenty of metal. In fact, there is so much metal at the rear that Jaguar has done away with the conventional rear window altogether.

That may take some getting used to.

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Inside, the minimalist approach continues. A 24-inch screen dominates the dashboard, joined by a seven-inch display for climate control and other functions. Another screen serves as the camera rearview mirror.

The cabin has four seats separated by a central aluminum spine with brass elements. Each seat gets its own climate control, while the front seats offer 12-way adjustment and even a hot-stone massage function. Woolblend Kvadrat DuoWeave textile, leather or Ultrafabrics NeoGrain upholstery finish the interior.

There is also a 13-speaker Meridian soundbar across the dashboard, another 25 speakers around the cabin, and enough connected technology to keep the occupants entertained while the car does its best impression of a spaceship.

Orders are expected to open in early 2027, with the Type 01 starting at $130,500 and deliveries scheduled for the second half of the year.

The name itself carries a little symbolism. “Type” nods to Jaguar’s heritage, “0” represents zero emissions and “1” marks the first model of a new generation.

Whether buyers love the styling, question the missing rear window or simply stare at the 1,015-hp figure for a while, one thing is difficult to dispute: Jaguar wanted its comeback to be noticed.

With 73% aluminum, 360-plus patent applications, 7,000 wind-tunnel tests and an “Impossible Panel” requiring 2,500 tonnes of pressure, the Type 01 certainly seems to have brought enough engineering ammunition to make its case.