Jaguar puts Tesla's Model X on notice with a long-range test drive in California

Jaguar's I-PACE concept won't be available for drivers until the second half of next year — but the all-electric luxury SUV is already showing off its impressive range on the streets of California.

The British automaker just released some new footage of one of its prototype vehicles taking a trip up the west coast of California, displaying an impressive range for an all-electric SUV that hasn't yet reached its final form. The I-PACE shuttled a potential customer on the roughly 200-mile jaunt from LA to San Luis Obispo, and the Jaguar engineer behind the wheel claimed the EV had plenty of juice to spare at the trip's end.

The I-PACE specs haven't been officially finalized, but the company projects the luxury SUV will allow driver's more than 220 miles per charge via its 90 kWh battery. The concept version can charge up to 80 percent capacity after about 90 minutes on a 50 kW DC rapid charger, but Jaguar Vehicle Line Director Ian Hoban says the team is aiming to cut that time down to "just a short break" for the final production version.

Jaguar released some more details about the I-PACE's testing process, which is just reaching its final validation stages before the final specs and price are announced in March 2018 and production begins in the second half of next year. The automaker says the 200-vehicle strong test fleet has logged over 1.5 million miles on the road.

The 200-mile test drive is an impressive hurdle to clear ahead of the SUV's official release, but it's not quite at Tesla's level yet. The Model X SUV, which is the most comparable vehicle currently on the market, varies in range from 237 to 295 miles per charge depending on the package.