Range Rover’s first EV is expected to offer similar performance as the current V8 model.
The Range Rover Electric, which will go on sale later this year, has already gathered more than 16,000 interested buyers worldwide, according to the brand. Order books for Range Rover’s first EV opened in December 2023. The waiting list, however, only gives an indication of interested customers rather than a formal reservation.
- Range Rover Electric to be based on current ICE platform
- Will rival BMW iX and Mercedes EQS SUV
- Currently being tested in Sweden and Dubai
Range Rover Electric to be based on existing platform
The first battery-electric Range Rover will be based on the existing combustion-engined model and JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) product engineering boss Thomas Muller has claimed it will be “the quietest and most refined Range Rover ever”.
Preview images show that it will also retain similar styling, albeit with a few bespoke elements. It will use an 800V architecture, which will enable ultra-fast charging.
Range Rover Electric performance
Although Range Rover bosses have yet to give any performance details for the new model, Muller said it will have the same “go-anywhere” capability as the ICE version, and that it will offer towing, wading and all-terrain capability that will exceed any other luxury electric SUV – including the ability to wade through 850mm-deep water.
The hint that the Range Rover Electric will offer performance “comparable” to the existing V8 suggests a total output of over 500-plus hp. It is expected to adopt a twin-motor set-up, which will allow for greater all-wheel-drive ability and systems such as torque vectoring to boost its off-road potential.
JLR recently began an on-road prototype testing programme for the new model, with trials taking place in locations such as Sweden and Dubai. The firm says its test programme has been adapted to particularly examine the vehicle’s underfloor, battery durability and thermal derating.
Range Rover will build its EV at its Solihull plant alongside the existing mild- and plug-in hybrid versions. It will initially use batteries from a third-party supplier before eventually switching to packs produced in the new Somerset gigafactory that JLR parent firm Tata is planning.
Range Rover Electric: rivals
The electric Range Rover will serve as a rival to the BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. The model remains under wraps (even camouflaged prototypes have yet to hit public roads), but visually, it’s unlikely to differ substantially from the ICE-powered car.
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