The British manufacturer unveiled its Land Rover Electric Defender this year, at the Geneva Motor Show, and the first cars just got their first real-life assignments. The first Land Rover Electric Defender to be used is a 110 Pick Up: this car is used in the Eden Project in England for pulling a four-carriage road train packed with visitors.
The Land Rover Electric Defender, built on the base of the legendary off-roader, proved to be extremely powerful: it has no problems pulling up to 12 tons up a six-percent incline. The radius of the car is 50 miles, with a 12 mile reserve – more than enough for the needs of the eco-friendly plant research site. Even better, the Land Rover Electric Defender, if used at low speeds, can function up to 8 hours without interruption.
Land Rover decided to add another lithium-ion battery: this way the range of the Land Rover Electric Defender can be doubled. Weight distribution and stability is also considerably improved. The excellent terrain capabilities are achieved by one, modest-looking electric motor producing 94 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. The car can be recharged for only about £2.00 at night.
One of the novel technologies the Land Rover Electric Defender has is a hill-descent function linked to the regenerative braking system. While braking, up to 80 percent of the batteries’ power can be regenerated. At Eden Project, each downhill trip means 30 kilowatts of power regenerated.
According to Land Rover’s press release, the Land Rover Electric Defender is an "innovative 4×4 is a rolling laboratory to develop new ideas, and investigate electrification in a real-world environment.” The British manufacturer is exploring the issue of sustainability by moving towards aluminum platforms in the latest Range Rover line, and it is working on a hybrid version of the Range Rover.
