U.S. Jaguar EV Conversion Company E.C.D. to go Public

E.C.D. Automotive Design is a custom EV conversion specialist headquartered in Florida. It was founded in 2013 by three Brits who love Jaguars and Land Rovers.

E.C.D. has just announced that it is to become a publicly-traded company in a merger with Acquisition Corporation EF Hutton. The company has valued E.C.D. at $225 million.

Currently, E.C.D. restores the Jaguar E-Type, Land Rovers Defenders, Land Rover Series IIA and the Range Rover Classic. Each vehicle produced is fully bespoke, one-off, that is designed by the client and hand-built from the ground-up by 70 talented craftsmen and technicians. Each car takes 2,200 hours.

In late 2022 E.C.D. opened a new 100,000 square-foot facility. It’s here that the company set up a second assembly line to build all-electric versions of the Jaguar E-Type to join all the classic Land Rovers it has been converting for years.

The company has set up its own UK logistics hub where it employs 7 staff that locate the Jaguars and Land Rovers, then ship them to Florida.

Co-founder Scott Wallace explained to MarketWatch that E.C.D. is completely self-sufficient now, and thanks to its UK hub, it has cut overseas shipping timesdown from 100 days to about 24.

The electric E-Type’s are converted using a 450 hp Tesla Model S motor and a 100 kW battery pack.

The EV Jaguars deliver between 180-200 miles (290-320 km) of range and come equipped with a J1772 plug. E.C.D. is exploring additional EV features like DC fast charging and dual motor powertrains.

Looking ahead, E.C.D. has plans for a third assembly section next to the Jaguar South Line that will be dedicated to prebuilt models, for those customers who don’t want to wait through the 2,200 hour design and build process.

With the new facility, the team expected to be able to produce about 120 custom builds a year, but Wallace explained that it’s looking more like 180, and could be even larger once the Jaguar lines start humming. .

Editor - Information for this story sourced from financial news website MarketWatch and American news website Electrek.

2023 Jaguar I-Pace: More EPA Range With 20-Inch Wheels

The 2023 Jaguar I-Pace does not bring any major changes, as it's still equipped with a 90-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery and dual motor, all-wheel drive powertrain (294 kilowatts), which enables it to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 4.5 seconds.

The EPA combined range rating of the car is however slightly different than in the previous years. There are now two ratings for two different wheel sizes:

◊ 20-inch wheels: 396 km

◊ 22-inch wheels: 349 km

◊ 47km or 11.8 percent less.

It is assumed that the 20-inch version with the high-profile tyres is the right choice for all those who would like to maximize range, although the larger and fancier wheels and low profile tyres are often selected for aesthetics.

In most countries, including Australia, the Jaguar I-Pace remains a niche premium electric car.

Editor - Information for this story sourced from international website InsideEVs.