I do not have the knowledge you have. I have never made any bones about that. I was not even aware that there were satellite photos of I-Pace's coming off the production line. I was not aware till recently about Magna producing these cars. However, this is what I get from your post
1) There are no production problems, the assembly line is well optimized.
2) There are supply problems (headlights, entertainment etc.).
3) If parts were available, more cars could easily be produced quickly
4) There may be (again it is not clear from your post if there is or there is not) a financial constraint that is holding up production.
5) Demand is higher than predicted and that cars initially planed to be sent to the other markets have instead been sent to Netherlands to due to some tax benefits.
6) There are no major quality issues based on comments from experts and critics.
You have been dismissive of the one website link that I had provided elsewhere, which said that Jaguar had production problems (not a parts supply problem). Again, I have no source or sources of information that would contradict anything you have said. Assuming everything you say is correct, can someone provide me the information I am looking for including:
How many I-Paces have actually produced till today?
How many have been delivered to end users (retail customers, fleet buyers etc.) worldwide?
What is the reaction of the Average Joe who drives it for personal purposes (work, grocery store, restaurant, beach etc.), not the experts? I would be most interested in the Average Joe who has also driven a Tesla.
Is there an estimated date when these cars will be available in the US?
All the hype apart, I am looking to make a decision on which BEV to buy. Jaguar has still not sold me that they are the real deal.
OK, so we want to talk around the circle again with mostly information that is rumor, and unverified by Jaguar or Magna Steyr? Why? If you are considering which EV to buy, you should first go out and test drive all of the models you are considering, and actually try to get as long of test drive as possible so that you can familiarize yourself with the car, and how it works in regular life. For me, I was not sure about the I-Pace until I went to the NY Autoshow and spent several hours going over every inch of it. I got to look at the cutaway car also to see how the chassis is built. It is robust to say the least, hence Jaguar allows it to be driven through 20" of water, or off roading, or take it to the track and run laps on the track. Tesla clearly in comparison voids the warranty for any of these uses. Here is a quote right out of Tesla's warranty;
"This New Vehicle Limited Warranty does not cover any vehicle damage or malfunction directly or indirectly caused by, due to or resulting from normal wear or deterioration, abuse, misuse, negligence, accident, improper maintenance, operation, storage or transport, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
• Driving off-road, over uneven, rough, damaged or hazardous surfaces, including but not limited to, curbs, potholes, unfinished
roads, debris, or other obstacles, or in competition, racing or autocross or for any other purposes for which the vehicle is not designed;"
Jaguar designed the I-Pace for those purposes, so you are not so limited in your uses. Now that being said, if you bring the I-Pace back with a hole in the battery pack because you high centered it on a rock that would not be covered, as it is physical damage. If you burn up the drive unit running it on the race track that would be warranted in the Jaguar. In Portugal testing at the racetrack I-Paces were run lap after lap after lap in hot weather, and no sign of overheating or brake failure, and the car actually handles very well for a crossover.
Now, I have not driven I-Pace, but have gone over the car design with a fine toothed comb, and feel it is very well thought out, and built. We also own a Range Rover (my wife's car) and have been very happy with it, it is smooth, very comfortable, reliable, and cute. From all the information I have gotten from the 50 or so road test reviews the I-pace will be even better from a ride and drive standpoint.
Now, discussing Technology, do I care what tech is used in the battery? Nope, if they say it is 90KWh, and will last, and they guarantee that for 8 years (far longer then I will own it) I am good. Do I care where they located the BMS in the car? Nope, although the I-Pace BCM is part of the battery pack. Do I care about the chemistry of the battery cells? Nope, again as long as the battery functions as intended. Additionally, I do not check to see what brand of pistons are in my diesel pickup either, as long as it runs, I do not care. This is what I call petty stuff, and I simply do not care. A battery with 90KWh capacity is all I care about. Taking that line of thought further, GM Bolt and Hyundai cars use similar cells, and no degradation problems and unlike Tesla, there is no problem with charging to 100% daily.
Now that we got through the stuff I do not care about, what do I care about? I care that the car is comfortable, well made, and loaded with features that I actually use. I care that the seats are 18 way adjustable, and with adjustable thigh support. I care that I can adjust heated seats and climate settings while driving, and without taking my eyes off the road (this is why I love knobs for certain functions, muscle memory, want to change the temp, you put your hand on the knob, and turn it gives you haptic feedback for each degree you adjust it. That to me is high tech. The argument about buttons vs touch will rage on forever, but remember I-Phone has always had a physical switch to silence the ringer, buttons for volume control, and a button to lock, Why? Possibly because it is quicker and more convenient then scrolling a menu to change those functions, and they can be changed without looking at the phone? I guess I-Phone is like a steam engine too... haha-Bob
Other technologies I like, and find very useful daily in the I-Pace
1) Blind spot warning in the side mirrors
2) Color Head Up Display
3) Apple Car Play, and Android Auto
4) Automatic Gesture trunk
5) Matrix Headlights
6) Heated and Cooled seats
7) 4 Zone Climate control so each passenger has control of their surrounding, and seat heater
8) Blind spot warning for rear passengers with indicator next to the door handle
9) Seat sensors for the HVAC, so the car does not heat or cool areas of the car without passengers
I could go on on the Technologies, but these are pretty cool.
On Bob's comment about charging networks, do you guys think its better for each manufacturer to build a proprietary system? I think CCS for everyone is the way to go, with Electrify America setting the way for the USA, if anything I think other automakers should invest into EA, as it will by far be the ultimate network in the USA. Many Tesla fans often post on here that EA is only going to spend $2B on charging, I wonder if they have any idea what a charging station costs to build, and how many stations can be built for 2B... The math is simple, the average 8 stall station costs 250K to build, so that means EA has enough budget for 8000 of those stations, while Tesla currently has 560 stations in the USA. Tesla also books the value of their entire supercharger network at <500M, and that is world wide, with EA we are just talking about the USA. Also at EA all of the customers pay, so the revenue from all that charging is going to create a massive stream for maintenance and growth. Lets not forget too that EA is building in some future proofing, by building 150-350KW stations, and up to 920V charging, Tesla's entire network is the old 400V, and between 72-120KW, More 72KW, then 120KW worldwide. Each EA station does offer 1 - 50KW chademo, for the Leaf and Tesla folks, all the rest are CCS 150-350KW.
Another look at the technology, I just read that the I-Pace record set at Laguna Seca this week, matched Tesla Model S P100D best lap... Remember I-Pace is heavier, less aerodynamic, and with far less rated power. Tesla technology, huh? OK.... What is Tesla going to do when the performance version I-Pace SVR comes out next year?
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/08/24/jaguar-i-pace-laguna-seca-record-ev-tesla/
