REPORT: Land Rover looking into extended-range and normal hybrid technology
Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4_e - Click above for high-res image gallery
It's not at all surprising that Land Rover would want in on corporate cousin Jaguar's hybrid technology. While the British-born and Indian-owned automakers are currently saying the range-extended electric hybrid technology that's debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the oddly named Jaguar Limo-Green is nothing more than a concept, JLR head of research Anthony Harper tells Autocar that it could eventually be much more:
At this point, the Lotus-developed range extender and the large-scale lithium ion battery pack that's capable of propelling a large vehicle for 30 miles are just too expensive for JLR to put into production. Still, that doesn't mean hybrid powertrains are out of the equation entirely at the company. According to Harper:It is possible that future Land Rover models could get the technology as well. It is certainly something we are looking into and forms part of where we would like to go with the brands.
We are looking into more conventional hybrid technology at present. With Land Rovers, you need to be able to get lots of power and torque to all four wheels and you can't do that for long periods at the moment.
Gallery: Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4_e
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mark Kiernan 8:12PM (9/11/2009)
How about a Discovery EV?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Rover_Discovery
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aimless 5:30AM (9/12/2009)
It's simple...
When you are out in the bush, you do not want to get stranded with a dead battery, days of walking from the nearest outlet.
When you are in the city, you don't need a fraking Landrover.
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