JLR has finally confirmed its EV plans for the Range Rover that’s expected to soon become available on the market gifted with plug-in hybrid technology. These are all details that were revealed by the Jaguar Land Rover engineer who is in charge of hybrid technology development: Peter Richings. This chief engineer also felt the need to mention that these EV plans target more than one car, so the Range Rover is just the most logical first target and not the only one. After all, it’s the top car the one that sets the tone for the rest of the line-up.
However, this is not the only reason why the Range Rover was chosen to be the initial host for the plug-in hybrid technology. Another reason has to do with the weight that’s added by a hybrid powertrain. What this chief engineer didn’t want to reveal is a date when we should expect this hybrid version of Range Rover on the market. He only said that we won’t see such a car until 2015 but in the same time we won’t have to wait until 2020 either.
It’s not the first time when Jaguar tries to get acquainted with this hybrid technology. The carmaker also played with it in order to put together a prototype: the Jaguar XJ_e PHV. Instead of gifting the car with a 5.0-litre V8 engine, Jaguar chose to be creative and power it up with a combination between a turbocharged engine with a capacity of 2.0 litres and an electric motor able to develop 94bhp. Also added was a 12.3kWh lithium-ion battery. This powertrain makes the prototype mentioned capable of using only electric power for around 25 miles. In addition, it ensures a fuel economy of 73.5mpg while still being able to go from 0 to 60 mph in an impressive 6.5 seconds.
The hybrid technology that I’ve just described will most likely not be used on the hybrid version of Range Rover expected by 2020, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be similar to what the XJ_e PHV prototype has to offer. At least that’s what Richings officially declared.
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