After yesterday’s leak introduced us to Jaguar’s I-PACE racer and the emergence of the eTROPHY series, today the automaker is sharing more about its sporty and electrified future.

What we didn’t know yesterday is that the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY is actually going to be the support series for the FIA Formula E championship, set to start in late 2018. It’s the world’s first production battery electric vehicle race series.

Taking part in it will be these Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race cars, up to 20 of them, hitting the streets of Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paolo and New York, giving future Formula E drivers the chance to take part in this world-first series.

The race cars will be built by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) in Warwickshire, UK, and based on the I-PACE performance SUV, which is set to debut in late 2018.

“Jaguar returned to racing in 2016 with the mission ‘Race to Innovate’. With the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY we have strengthened our commitment to battery electric vehicles, international motorsport and Formula E. As a British team, we are proud to announce today the launch of the world’s first production battery electric vehicle championship,” said Jaguar Racing chairman, Gerd Mauser.

“We’ve always said we want to prove our electrification technologies on the track – this is the proof. I am looking forward to seeing a full grid of Jaguar I-PACE racecars in late 2018, soon after the first Jaguar I-PACE hits the road in Europe. Ultimately this innovative series will enhance the technology in our future electric vehicles and benefit our customers.”

A full race calendar with technical specs for the race cars will be released next year. However, Jaguar is making it known that a typical race weekend will include free practice, a qualifying session and a 30 minute race.

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