Prince William is set to visit Oxfordshire today as part of a royal engagement highlighting the UK’s growing leadership in electric vehicle innovation.
The Prince of Wales will travel to Kidlington to tour the headquarters of Jaguar TCS Racing, one of the leading teams in Formula E — the world’s premier all-electric motorsport series. His visit underscores a continued royal focus on sustainability, clean energy, and technological advancement.
During the engagement, Jaguar will present its work in electrification and cutting-edge engineering, offering insight into how motorsport is shaping the future of road vehicles. Formula E, widely regarded as the fastest-growing motorsport globally, has also positioned itself as a sustainability pioneer, operating with a certified net-zero carbon footprint since its inception.
Jaguar TCS Racing has been a dominant force in the championship over the past decade, securing more race wins than any other team in the series. Their recent success includes clinching both the Teams’ World Championship and Manufacturer’s Trophy in 2024.
The Prince will be given a behind-the-scenes look at the team’s advanced Kidlington facility, where engineers and specialists design and build high-performance electric race cars. He is also expected to meet key figures within the team, including drivers Mitch Evans and António Félix da Costa, the latter a former world champion.
A central part of the visit will focus on Jaguar’s latest race car, the I-TYPE 7, and the technologies developed in-house that later influence the brand’s consumer electric vehicles. While Formula E teams operate under strict regulations — sharing standardised components such as chassis and batteries — manufacturers retain the freedom to innovate in critical areas like powertrains and software.
Sustainability remains at the core of Formula E’s mission. The racing calendar is carefully structured to reduce travel emissions, with events grouped by region. Teams also rely on remote operations to limit personnel travel, a system that Jaguar has integrated into its strategy — and one the Prince is expected to observe during his visit.
The engagement follows closely on the heels of a recent visit to Oxfordshire by King Charles III, further highlighting the Royal Family’s ongoing interest in environmental initiatives and green technology. Photo by USAID/Vietnam, Wikimedia commons.
