Jaguar Land Rover have just shown a new concept car its Project Vector. David Brown spoke to Dr Tim Leverton in his UK office about why JLR is focusing on more than just selling vehicles to individuals and corporations.

Dr. Tim Leveton has specialized in product development at the highest level in his 40 years in the industry. He heads Jaguar Land Rover’s Future Mobility Research Project. Their first concept vehicle, Project Vector, is electric, has side doors like a train carriage and seats that can be arranged to suit various functions because:

What we can see is that in the future, it’s not only the design of the vehicle, which will help in the way that we can create zero emission vehicles, for example. But how those vehicles integrate into a completely integrated mobility system for assistance. Our aim has got to be to reduce the number of vehicles. And this can only be achieved by sharing vehicles and by getting higher occupancy in those vehicles.

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Jaguar Land Rover has today unveiled the bold new concept vehicle, Project Vector, as part of the company’s Destination Zero journey, offering its vision of an autonomous, electric, connected future for urban mobility. 

• Bold new concept vehicle as part of Jaguar Land Rover’s Destination Zero mission
• Project Vector ‘autonomy-ready’ platform offers solution to today’s urban mobility challenges with unparalleled interior space and flexibility in vehicle configuration
• Jaguar Land Rover’s vision integrates Project Vector concept platform into future smart city infrastructures, delivering services for private and shared mobility needs
• On-road pilot programme in Coventry planned from 2021 

Jaguar Land Rover’s Destination Zero mission is an ambition to make societies safer and healthier, and the environment cleaner. Delivered through relentless innovation, the company’s focus is on achieving a future of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion – through its products, services and across its facilities.

As the next stage of that journey, the Project Vector concept showcases an advanced, flexible, multi-use electric vehicle that is ‘autonomy-ready’.

At the reveal, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer, Prof Sir Ralf Speth, commented: “Jaguar Land Rover understands the trends shaping modern societies.  Project Vector shows Jaguar Land Rover as a leader in innovation to make our societies safer and healthier, and the environment cleaner.  Through this project, we are collaborating with the brightest minds in academia, supply chain and digital services, to create connected, integrated mobility systems – the fundamental building blocks for Destination Zero.”

“Project Vector is precisely the brave and innovative leap forward needed to deliver on our mission.”

The compact, flexible vehicle concept measures just four metres in length and is designed for the city, packaging all its battery and drivetrain components into a flat floor, to allow a variety of uses. The revolutionary interior cabin space allows seating configurations for private, or shared use and even the opportunity for commercial applications, such as last mile deliveries.

PROJECT VECTOR – Developing Tomorrow’s Mobility. Today.

Project Vector concept has been created with the mission to raise the quality of future urban living.

It has been developed at the National Automotive Innovation Centre to gain the advantages of working with agility and close collaboration with academic and external partners.

It will also address the wider landscape of mobility, from how customers connect with mobility services, to the infrastructure required to enable fully integrated, autonomous vehicles in our cities.

Dr. Tim Leverton, Project Director said: “The megatrends of urbanisation and digitalisation make connected urban mobility systems necessary and inevitable. Shared and private vehicles will share spaces with and be connected to public transit networks, so you can travel on demand and autonomously. That is a complex task, best achieved by working together with partners across the spectrum of vehicles, infrastructure and the digital world.

“With the technology and engineering power of Jaguar Land Rover, we can provide a unique opportunity for innovators to develop highly-functional urban mobility services, seamlessly integrated into everyday life.

“Future urban travel will be a composite of owned and shared vehicles, access to ride hailing and on-demand services as well as public transport. Our vision shows the vehicle as a flexible part of the urban mobility network that can be adapted for different purposes.”

The intention is to collaborate with Coventry City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority to plan a mobility service from late 2021, as a living laboratory for future mobility on the streets of Coventry.

Professor Dr Gero Kempf, Chief Engineer said: “It’s also a unique opportunity – a concept platform designed and engineered around urban centric use cases by a major car maker as a blank canvas, for developing tailored services and apps in the ecosystem of a smart city.”

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