Range Rover unveils its first fully electric car
British carmaker JLR has combined the off-roading capabilities of a Range Rover with the improved responsiveness and torque of an EV for the brand's first all-electric car.
Powered by two 260-kilowatt motors, the Range Rover Electric creates more torque than any Range Rover to date and 20 per cent more than other motors of the same size, JLR claimed.
A newly developed traction management system responds to manage slip in as little as 50 milliseconds on any surface. That's 100 times faster than its combustion-engine counterparts, according to the brand.
It can also climb slopes of up to 45 degrees and wade through up to 900 millimetres of water – high enough to fully submerge the battery and motors.
"The defining characteristic of Range Rover Electric is its ability to perform across every surface, with effortless comfort and refinement," said JLR vehicle engineering director Matt Becker.
"The responsiveness and precision of the new driveline control systems, enabled by electric propulsion, perfectly support this. We're very proud of the result."
With 550 brake horsepower, the SUV can accelerate from zero to 62 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds.
Hidden under the floor, a double‑stacked 118.5 kilowatt-hour battery gives the SUV a range of up to 372 miles.
Visually, the design deviates little from that of a traditional Range Rover, save the grille, wheels and underbody, which were aerodynamically optimised to extend its range.
The company has filed 300 patent applications for different parts of the vehicle, including its battery and motors, which will be made at JLR's Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton.
The car itself will be manufactured in Solihull, as part of a major investment in its Midlands sites.
Other heritage car companies that have recently unveiled their first electric cars include Rolls-Royce and Ferrari, which recruited Apple alumni Jony Ive and Marc Newson for the job.
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