New Range Rover Electric spotted on the Nurburgring
The big unveil of the first zero-emission Range Rover is getting closer
A pivotal moment in the 54-year history of the Range Rover is almost here as the first all-electric car to wear the name is preparing for launch. We’ve seen the Range Rover Electric testing in the Arctic circle already, thanks to some official spy shots from Jaguar Land Rover, but now we’ve seen it testing in the slightly more unfamiliar terrain of the Nurburgring race track.
The design of the Range Rover Electric is immediately familiar because it closely mirrors that of the petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid versions of the current, fifth-generation model. The only discernible difference at this stage – aside from a green flash on the number plate – is the aero-optimised grille design. Indeed, the headlights, bonnet, lower bumper and scuff plates all look identical to those found on the electric car’s combustion-engined counterparts.
There’s a new charging port flap as you’d expect, located on the rear three-quarter panel just as it is on the plug-in hybrid Range Rover. Previous pictures of the car in the Arctic show the flap completely iced over; we can only hope the charge flap’s operating temperature has been repeatedly tested to ensure it works even in sub-zero temperatures.
As for the new images of the car at the Nurburgring, the car is wearing a set of sporty Pirelli P Zero tyres wrapped around a set of 10-spoke 22-inch alloy wheels. While these could end up featuring on the production model, don’t expect the roll cage and bucket seats to be offered - even on the Range Rover’s extensive options and packs list.
The Range Rover Electric should offer a similar level of off-road ability to its internal-combustion engined counterparts, but previous images have shown a dynamic side too - a four-wheeled drift pictured in the Arctic with plumes of fine snow trailing behind the car is a case in point. Land Rover says its “new, in-house, all-electric propulsion system” will ensure “the all-terrain, all-weather and all-surface capability of the Range Rover remains unparallelled”.
Land Rover has apparently developed its own traction control system for the Range Rover Electric, which it says “delivers exceptional levels of performance on icy or low-grip surfaces”. The new car can distribute torque to each individual electric drive control unit in “as little as one millisecond”. This, according to JLR, reduces the need for ABS intervention for a smoother drive.
Talking about the electric Range Rover, Thomas Mueller, Executive Director for Product Engineering, said: “Range Rover with electric power means customary Range Rover luxury, refinement and capability, plus near-silent fully electric propulsion.” He insisted the new model will provide its occupants with “effortlessly smooth and relaxed journeys.”
As well as sub-zero testing in the Arctic Circle, the new Range Rover will be subjected to extreme heat at temperatures of up to 50 degrees celsius in the “searing deserts of the Middle East”.
Both the battery and Electric Drive Unit (EDU) are being developed in-house at JLR. The Range Rover will be the company’s second EV, following the Jaguar I-Pace, which launched back in 2018.
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