Filed under: SUV, Technology, Work, Land Rover, UK, Electric, Off-Road
Unveiled at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, six Land Rover Electric Defenders were produced to research the electrification of all-terrain vehicles in real-world test scenarios. The first Electric Defender to receive a test assignment, a four-wheel-drive 110 Pick Up, was sent to the Eden Project in Cornwall, England, to pull the four-carriage road train that transports visitors around the environmentally friendly plant research site. The SUV has no problem pulling up to 12 tons up a six-percent incline.
The Electric Defender in its original, single-battery configuration can operate for up to 50 miles, with a little over 12 miles in reserve. Functioning at low speeds, it can pull the carriages around the site for about eight hours before it needs a recharge, Land Rover states, but the recent addition of a second lithium-ion battery should lengthen the Defender’s run time while helping to even out out the truck’s weight distribution for better stability. Amazingly, the truck is able to pull the road train with one electric motor that produces 94 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque.
One of the new technologies the Electric Defender is testing is a hill-descent function linked to the regenerative braking system. Up to 80 percent of the batteries’ power can be regenerated in this way. During each downhill trip made at the Eden Project, the SUV regenerates up to 30 kilowatts of power.
We don’t know where the other Electric Defenders will be sent for testing, but we’ll let you know as soon as we find out. Meanwhile, you can take a look at the full press release below.
Continue reading Land Rover tests electric Defender with impressive results
Land Rover tests electric Defender with impressive results originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Aug 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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