Land Rover has revealed the new Range Rover Electric prototype, keeping it mostly hidden under a flat black paint job. Testers are pushing the vehicle to its limits by driving it across frozen lakes in Sweden, where temperatures drop to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
It seems that the electric version won’t look much different from the traditional gas-powered Range Rovers. The design remains minimalistic, including the grille and lower intake. While the upper part of the prototype resembles the standard car, the twin bars highlighted below could distinguish it as an EV. The wheel center caps also bear the inscription “EV,” although these details might change before production.
According to reports, the Range Rover Electric will feature a dual-motor powertrain, offering performance similar to a V8 engine. With an expected increase in weight due to the battery, we anticipate the electric version to match the power of the current SV model, which boasts 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque from its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine. The use of an 800-volt architecture will enable quick charging times for the robust battery.
Unlike Jaguar’s I-Pace, Land Rover is developing the electric powertrain in-house, including the battery, electric drive units, and software. The company has designed software to improve traction control, allowing each drive unit to independently manage traction without relying on a central processor. This approach ensures faster response times, reducing torque reaction time from around 100 milliseconds to as little as one millisecond.
The Range Rover Electric is expected to debut later this year, followed by electric versions of the Defender and Velar as part of Land Rover’s lineup refresh.
