Land Rover revealed today an electric version of the Defender, which they plan to premiere next week at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The electric Land Rover Defender is currently just a research vehicle, which is able to keep all of the SUV's off-road abilities while having zero emissions. The power of the electric Defender comes from a 70kW (94bhp) and 330Nm motor, which is juiced by a 300-volt, 27kWh lithium-ion battery. Land Rover says that the electric Defender has a maximum range of 50 miles. However, if it's used at low speed for off-road duty, the battery can last for up to eight hours. The battery can be recharged in four hours using a 7kW fast charger, or in ten hours using a portable 3kW charger. The Electric Land Rover Defender comes with four0wheel-drive and a differential lock.
It comes with a single-gear transmission and a 2.7:1 reduction gearbox. Land Rover also fitted the electric Defender with a modified version of the Terrain Response System.
Land Rover has tested the electric Defender extensively. During one of the tests, the research vehicle had to tow a 12-tonne 'road train' up a 13% gradient and wading to a depth of 800mm.
The electric Defender’s battery weighs 410kg, which means that the whole 4x4 is 100kg heavier than a standard Defender 110.
Land Rover says that the electric Defender weighs between 2055kg and 2162kg, depending on its body type (pick-up, hard top or station wagon).
The electric Defender is air-cooled and it comes with regenerative braking. When using the Hill Descent Control system, the 4x4 generates 30kW of electricity and almost 80% of the vehicle's kinetic energy can be recovered.
Land Rover says that currently, there are no plans of putting the electric Defender into production.
