- MT Expert
Land Rover Range_e diesel hybrid first drive
After it was launched in 1970, the Range Rover set a benchmark for luxury off-road travel and it’s about to do it all again with the new generation of diesel-electric hybrid models due in 2013.
Some may think of it as a mid-life crisis but that suggests uncertainty and panic and the sure-footed engineering and marketing of the Range Rover is anything but that.
It is, however, Land Rover’s response to an energy crisis which will see the arrival of the diesel-electric hybrid Range Rover in a year’s time, and a few years later the Plug-in Diesel Hybrid.
The 4WD Plug-in Diesel Hybrid was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show in the form of the Range_e and it was created after about six months of engineering work.
Using a shell off the Range Rover Sport line and adaptations to fit the electric motor, power battery, control system and charging feed with as little compromise as possible to the refinement and go-anywhere capability of the premium off-roader.
So the Range_e has the same full 4WD capability as the standard model, high and low range transmission, centre, front and rear differentials. The engine management system has been extended to automatically select the most efficient drive method and it incorporates regenerative braking to boost the charge into the battery which fills the spare-wheel-well.
Outwardly only a plug-in charge point next to the fuel filler distinguishes the Range_e, and inside it is almost standard Sport, except for a bespoke instrument panel on the prototype to show charging mode and battery state.
Under the bonnet is a familiar 245ps 3.0-litre TDV6 diesel engine, which is made in Britain at Ford Dagenham, and an eight-speed ZF automatic box, and there is a 69KW electric motor connected to the 14.2KW/h lithium-ion battery which can be charged in four hours from a conventional 240V socket.
Land Rover says the four hour charge costs about £1 and gives the big Range_e a 20 mile emission-free range, which would allow it free access in and around the London congestion charge zone.
When you factor in the time the diesel engine would be running and with the electric motor boosting power alongside the compression ignition engine to 330PS the overall emissions are listed as 89gkm of CO2, yet it can reach 120mph and overall it returns 85mpg while it should cover 690 miles without seeing a fuel pump. Those are incredible statistics.
Drive and handling
The Range_e is more incredible to drive. Land Rover has decided it has to be as close to standard, to what drivers are used to, if it’s to win over existing owners and it has a button starter and remote key, conventional electric parking brake and throttle.
On the prototype it requires two depressions of the button to start and only the rising rotary gear selector indicates it is ready to run once you turn out of park setting.
It moves off smoothly, near silently and pulls well as you join traffic. Through the gears there is no hesitation whether going up or down the box, just very good pick up when you want to make progress.
In overtaking situations the diesel cuts in seamlessly and gives additional punch but with a full charge in the system it quickly cuts out again as the electrics take precedence. You can watch the system sorting itself out on the instrument display but otherwise you would not know save for when the diesel engine note cuts in or out.
Ride, handling, comfort and practicality are the same as the standard line model but whether or not there would be any further changes in a production version remains to be seen. I think it is unlikely.
Land Rover jealously guards its true water wading reputation and work is still going on to evaluate and test the Plug-in Diesel Hybrid for its abilities off-road, but there is nothing to suggest it will be compromised.
Land Rover seems to have found that electricity and water can mix and that’s going to be another benchmark.
Milestones
Five prototype Range_e models have been built since December 2010 and are engaged in a test programme as part of the Coventry and Birmingham Low Emissions Demonstrators consortium.
The prototypes are gathering real-world usage data to refine the systems and technology ahead of making the first production vehicles, starting with the diesel hybrid in 2013 and the Plug-in Diesel Hybrid a short time later.
The prototype fleet is in testing almost every day and has been used by a variety of drivers, not just engineers, covering about 2,000 miles a month.
Technology learned along the way will be applied to other Land Rover models as well as some Jaguar cars from its sister company.