Jaguar I-Pace electric chauffeur service trial starts in London

A fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-Paces is set to power a new premium chauffeur service in London. Havn is the name of the posh new taxi service being launched by InMotion, Jaguar Land Rover’s venture capital and mobility services arm.

It’ll start as a trial initially, and if successful, be rolled out for wider use next year. It’s unknown at this stage if there are plans to extend the service beyond the UK capital.

The fleet will use the Premium SE version of the I-Pace, given additional features such as a panoramic roof, privacy glass, heated rear seats and four-zone climate control to up the level of luxury. Once inside the car, users of the service have the use of an iPad and on-board wi-fi.

Bookings can be made through the Havn app, at which point you can tailor the drive by customising your music preferences, temperature and how much interaction you want with your chauffeur. The service is designed to offer a luxurious, sustainable way to travel between meetings, airports and dinner dates – and Havn has already signed up a number of corporate clients.

Havn claims the service will have transparent prices, with no hidden charges or Uber-style ‘surge pricing’ at busy times. Journeys to Heathrow Airport start at £60, while a ride from Old Street to Canary Wharf will cost £32 depending on time of travel and traffic.

Havn employs experienced chauffeurs to differentiate it from other app-based taxi services. They'll wait for an additional 30 minutes (or an hour at airports) for late passengers, something Havn says distinguishes it from other services.