Range Rover has finally gone fully electric. And rather than reinventing the SUV for the occasion, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has taken a more cautious approach: make it electric, but make sure it still feels unmistakably like a Range Rover.
Built at JLR’s Solihull plant in the UK, it joins the brand’s existing mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and combustion-powered models, giving buyers another way into the familiar Range Rover formula.
The numbers are impressive, though perhaps not unexpected from a vehicle carrying the Range Rover badge. Two permanent-magnet electric motors produce up to 404kW and 850Nm of torque, enough to take the SUV from 0 to 100km/h in as little as 4.3 seconds. The claimed range is up to 598km on the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle, with JLR quoting up to 535km in real-world testing. But speed is only one part of the brief. A Range Rover still needs to be able to do Range Rover things.
That means the electric version has been developed with the same expectation of being comfortable on a motorway one minute and dealing with rough terrain the next. The integrated traction management system can respond to wheel slip within 50 milliseconds, with the system managing traction considerably faster than a comparable combustion-engine setup. The electric motors can also independently manage torque distribution, helping maintain grip across different surfaces.
The headline figure for anyone planning to take one somewhere considerably less civilised is its 900mm wading capability. Single-pedal driving is also available, while the lower centre of gravity and twin-chamber air suspension are intended to improve both composure and control.
“The defining characteristic of Range Rover Electric is its ability to perform across every surface, with effortless comfort and refinement,” says Matt Becker, JLR’s vehicle engineering director. “We’ve worked tirelessly to ensure it retains those qualities.”
That emphasis on continuity extends to the design. There is no attempt to make the electric Range Rover look futuristic for the sake of it. Instead, the familiar proportions remain, with an aerodynamically optimised grille, wheels and underbody helping improve efficiency.
The battery is perhaps where the biggest engineering work has taken place. A 118.5kWh usable lithium-ion battery uses a double-stack layout and 800V architecture. On a sufficiently powerful 350kW DC charger, JLR says it can charge from 10% to 80% in around 22 minutes, or add up to 220km of WLTP range in 10 minutes when operating at its maximum charging rate.
JLR has also put considerable effort into making sure the battery can cope with the less glamorous realities of electric motoring. Range Rover Electric has been tested in temperatures ranging from -40°C in Sweden to the heat of the Dubai desert, alongside testing at the company’s Eastnor Castle facility in the UK. Across virtual and physical development, the vehicle has covered more than 1.5-million kilometres and more than 250,000 hours of testing.
One of the more intriguing pieces of technology is ThermAssist, a thermal-management system designed to optimise battery temperature and improve range, charging and longevity, reportedly adding up to 40km of range while reducing heating energy use by 40%.
There are some clever touches once you get inside, too. The Range Rover app allows owners to check charge levels and predicted range remotely, schedule charging and even switch on the heated steering wheel or cabin purification before getting into the car. Each vehicle also comes with a battery digital twin that monitors more than 900 diagnostic data points, while the electric powertrain is covered by an eight-year or 160,000km warranty, subject to market-specific terms.
The first South African cars will be available in a choice of short- and long-wheelbase forms, with HSE and Autobiography specifications, as well as SV, SV Ultra and SV Black derivatives. A First Edition is also offered in Belgravia Green, Santorini Black or Varesine Blue, with Light Cloud Ultrafabrics and Kvadrat interior materials.
The first fully electric Range Rover is now available to order in South Africa, with prices starting at R3,916,800 for the Range Rover SWB EV550 HSE and rising to R6,035,000 for the range-topping LWB EV550 SV Ultra.
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