Land Rover Defender Goes ElectricCars News

It’s not often that automakers infused hardcore off-road vehicles with electric powertrains, but Land Rover is no ordinary automaker. For the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, the automaker has decided to show-off its latest technology, including a nine-speed ZF 9HP automatic transmission and a fleet of all-electric Land Rover Defender research vehicles.

 
In lieu of the Defender’s standard diesel engine, these research vehicles boast an electric motor producing 94 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. All this power is routed through a single-speed transmission and is fueled by a 300-volt lithium-ion battery with a 27kWh capacity. The 410kg battery is located up front in place of the diesel.

 
This powertrain helps the Defender cover more than 50 emissions-free miles. And, despite its eco-friendly tech, Land Rover stresses that these research vehicles are still Land Rovers through and through, capable of tackling the rough stuff with ease. Thanks to the Defender’s legendary four-wheel drive system with Terrain Response and a differential lock, it can still pull roughly 12-tons up a 13 percent gradient and wading to a depth of 800mm.

 
Although there are no plans to put electrified Land Rovers into production, the automaker is looking to test the technology in real-world trials later this year.

 
“This project is acting as a rolling laboratory for Land Rover to assess electric vehicles, even in the most arduous all-terrain conditions,” said said Antony Harper, Jaguar Land Rover Head of Research. “It gives us a chance to evolve and test some of the technologies that may one day be introduced into future Land Rover models.”

 

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