The all-new Range Rover may look very similar to the outgoing model (expect for the rear end design), but it rides on an all-new chassis architecture that allows for a fully-electric powertrain to be installed in the vehicle for the first time. In fact, Land Rover has officially announced that the pure-electric version of the new Range will debut in 2024, although it didn't share any details on it.
What we do know about the upcoming Range EV is that there's a chance it may, in fact, run on hydrogen and be a fuel-cell vehicle. Autocar just published a report, based on an interview with Land Rover's vehicle program director Nick Miller, announcing that the MLA platform (the one that underpins the new Range Rover) can support a fuel-cell electric powertrain.
According to the source report, FCV powertrains won't be the main direction of electrification for Jaguar-Land Rover, so they will most likely not constitute the bulk of electric vehicle sales in the future. In other words, there's a good chance the electric version of the new Range Rover could be sold as both a BEV and an FCV, with the former being the most common.
Gallery: 2022 Range Rover
What do we know about the 2024 Range Rover BEV? Well, not that much right now, but it needs a battery pack that's at least 100 kWh and a WLTP range of at least 300 miles (480 km) to be competitive, or even better numbers since the game will move on in the next two or three years. We did try to preview what it might look like with the quick rendering used as this article's featured photo.
Until the EV and possible FCV, Range Rover will sell you two electrified versions of the model as a plug-in hybrid - the P440e and the P510e. Both have the same 3-liter six-cylinder engine (in different states of tune) and the same 105 kW (140 horsepower) electric motor. They both draw from the same 38.2 kWh battery pack with a usable capacity of 31.8 kWh that gives the vehicle a WLTP range up to 100 km / 62 miles on one charge, although they also mention the real world range which is about 80 km / 50 miles.
The P440e makes 440 horsepower and 620 Nm of torque, while the P510e makes 510 horsepower and 700 Nm of torque and it can sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.3 seconds. The latter also has a rated towing capacity of 2,500 kg.
Gallery: 2022 Range Rover PHEV
They also mention that the new Range PHEVs can be driven at speeds of up to 140 km/h / 87 mph on electrons alone, and that if you keep the battery topped up, the vehicle should emit just 30 g/km CO2. And unlike some PHEVs where the battery pack takes up space (usually in the trunk), in this application it is in the floor of the vehicle, so it retains its full cargo capacity (818 liters or 1,061 liters in the long-wheelbase model, for both behind row two measured up to the roof).
Both PHEV versions can be DC fast-charged at up t0 50 kW, so the battery can be replenished in less than an hour. Its on-board charger can muster up to 7.2 kW AC and it needs five hours to fully charge the battery. They also have specific driving modes with self-explanatory names, like Hybrid Mode, EV Mode or Save Mode, like most modern PHEVs.
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Source: Autocar