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Land Rover Turns Defender Into Electric Off-Roader
Land Rover's Defender could be referred to as the automaker's grand old model, considering the Defender brand has existed since 1948. The Defender is scheduled to be replaced by the DC100 concept series, but before it retires the Defender the automaker is giving it a new life in the form of a research vehicle.
Land Rover has announced the Electric Defender Research Vehicle, seven of which will be seen at the Geneva Motor Show. "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," said John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director. Go through the slides to learn more about the Defender EV
Powerplant
The regular engine and powertrain in the Defender have been replaced by an electric motor producing 70kW or 94 BHP of power and330Nm of torque.
Battery
The lithium ion battery in the Defender has a capacity of 27kWh and a range of 50 miles and during low speed off-road use the battery lasts up to 8 hours. The battery weighs 410 kg and is placed in the engine bay.
Charging
The battery can be charged with two sources. The first one is using a 7kW fast charger, which fully charges it in four hours. The battery can also be charged using a 3kW portable charger that takes 10 hours to bring it up to full charge.
Regenerative Braking
Regenerative braking on the Defender EV has been refined to such an extent that during Hill Descent Control 30kW of electric power is generated. Furthermore, Land Rover says, due to the battery's fast charging capability almost all of the regenerated power is stored. "Up to 80 percent of the kinetic energy in the vehicle can be recovered in this way, depending on conditions."
Powertrain
Being an electric motor, maximum torque is generated right from the beginning and hence the vehicle incorporates a single speed transmission, which is combined with the Defender's four-wheel drive system and Land Rover's Terrain Response System.
Performance
Developed by Land Rover's Advanced Engineering Team, the electric Defender is capable of pulling "12-tonne 'road train' up a 13 percent gradient and wading to a depth of 800mm."
"This project is acting as a rolling laboratory for Land Rover to assess electric vehicles, even in the most arduous all-terrain conditions. It gives us a chance to evolve and test some of the technologies that may one day be introduced into future Land Rover models," said Antony Harper, Jaguar Land Rover Head of Research.
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