Land Rover expands electrification offerings
There is no denying the fact that alternative forms of mobility are becoming increasingly popular in today’s day and age.
The Jaguar i-Pace has just won the Autotrader South African Car of The Year award and while our country is far from an electric car revolution, manufacturers are still investing in the technology. Land Rover is one such manufacturer who has just introduced a new range of hybrid vehicles.
Land Rover has taken its current Discovery Sport and Evoque models and added a bit of electrification to them. These two models are the most popular in the line-up and now feature a brand-new 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine from the brands in house Ingenium engine range. This, the smallest petrol engine in the range works in conjunction with an electric motor to aid in performance as well as efficiency.
The petrol engine produces around 147 kW and the electric motor can develop around 80 kW. The petrol engine powers the front wheels while the electric motor is mounted on the rear axle powering the rear wheels which give the cars fantastic all-wheel-drive capability and the perfect blend of performance, depending on your driving style. Additionally, both vehicles have an impressive all-electric, zero tailpipe emission range of around 60km. While it might not sound all that impressive, the electric motor will aid in traffic as well as short excursions around town while assisting the petrol unit on the open road. The results of this equate to a claimed fuel consumption of around 1.4 litres per 100km, depending on the model.
There are various ways to charge the battery, one being energy generated by the engine during acceleration, or by braking in an electric or hybrid mode which is then harvested and used to charge the battery. The second is the vehicle requires to be plugged into a wall charger or charging station. The 15kWh battery can be powered up from zero to 80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes using a public rapid charger. It takes between 1 hour and 24 minutes and 6 hours 42 minutes at home, depending on whether the car is plugged into a dedicated wall box or typical domestic electricity supply.
Will we see these two products in South Africa? Unfortunately, these two products are not confirmed for introduction into our market just yet, the possibility of introduction could be plausible once infrastructure improves.
