Jaguar has upgraded its electric I-Pace, introducing free software updates which promise to improve battery performance and increase range by up to 12 miles from a full charge.

The updates, which are a result of the knowledge gained from the I-Pace eTrophy race series, also include changes to the all-wheel drive system, altering the torque distribution between front and rear motors to deliver better efficiency in Eco mode. There are tweaks to the thermal management system, too, in which the active radiator vanes are closed more often to enhance aerodynamics.

Alongside improvements gleaned from the eTrophy series, Jaguar has also analysed data from 500 million miles of real-world journeys. Changes made after interpreting these findings include improved regenerative braking and more accurate range calculations to be more reflective of an individual’s driving style.

While Jaguar claims an increase of up to 12 miles of range in the update, this does not change the official certified WLTP range of 292 miles. Jaguar said the “marginal gains developed from eTrophy analysis will give customers access to an improvement of up to eight per cent dependent on usage – equating to a potential extra 12 miles of real-world range”.

When asked why the WLTP figure was not improved, a spokesman told Autocar: “The focus of this campaign is improved real-world range for our customers. The additional resources that would be needed purely for recertification are much better invested in ongoing product developments – for race and road.”

Jaguar is inviting I-Pace owners to take their cars to retailers to receive the free update, which will also enable enhanced over-the-air functionality. The firm said that more electronic modules will be able to receive remote updates, but added that it was “unable to specify which additional modules at this time”.