Land Rover are known for their continuous innovation and cutting-edge engineering.
At the on-going 2013 Geneva Motor Show the British marque revealed their all-new Electric Defender Research vehicle concept lineup. The new electric Land Rover research vehicles house a 70kW (95.3 PS), 330Nm electric motor powered by a 300-volt, lithium-ion battery which gives an impressive range of more than 50 miles (80 km). The electric vehicles retain Land Rover Defender’s legendary four-wheel drive system with differential lock. Because the electric motor delivers maximum torque from the get-go, there’s no need for gear shifting and, as is usual with most EVs, the transmission is single speed. The EV Defender also incorporates an all new four-wheel drive system with a modified version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response System.
The research vehicles were developed by Land Rover’s Advanced Engineering Team following successful trials of the Defender-based electric vehicle, Leopard 1. The Electric Defender Concept’s capabilities have been tested in extreme and environmentally sensitive conditions – including pulling a 12-tonne ‘road train’ up a 13 percent gradient and wading to a depth of 800mm. Speaking at the event, John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director, stated, “Investing in innovation has always been the lifeblood of our business and our engineering teams are working hard to develop innovative new technology to provide sustainable motoring solutions.” Although there are no plans for the all-terrain electric Defender to enter series production, the seven EVs will go into service in specialist real world trials later this year.
