Land Rover will bring an electric Defender to the Geneva Show

Since 1983, when Land Rover, run by Rover itself, launched the Defender on the market, very few changes have been made to this latest generation. Twenty years later, the company now owned by Tata Motors has chosen to build a travelling laboratory of electric vehicles on the basis of one of the best off-roaders of all time.

Although the brand may market a completely new model next year, Land Rover wants to use the current range as an experimental vehicle to test a completely new electric propulsion system. That is why, at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover will present the Defender EV.

Under the bonnet of the English off-roader we will not find a huge diesel engine. Instead, the engineers have fitted batteries that have a capacity of 27 kWh, enough to drive the vehicle for 80 km. They can be recharged in four hours at a fast charging point or in more than eight hours from a domestic plug. It weighs 410 kg, and overall the Land Rover Defender is 100 kg heavier than a diesel variant.

The electric motor delivers 90 CV of power and 330 Nm of torque to all four wheels through a differential that can be locked. Land Rover has incorporated a modified version of its Terrain Response system and, in addition, the Defender EV has a 2.7:1 transfer case.

On the stand it will have ready, the English brand will show the public up to seven prototypes of the electric Defender, along with the Range Rover, the Discovery 4 and finally the Freelander 2.

Source | Land Rover

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadLand Rover Defender23 versions · from 78,700 €