The new electric Range Rover is undergoing final-stage testing ahead of its launch next year.
New images show JLR's second production EV testing in the United Arab Emirates – following Arctic Circle testing earlier this year – where temperatures are hitting as high as 50deg C with humidity levels of 90%.
One of the key aspects the cars were testing, besides their off-road capabilities, is whether the new thermal management system – the most intelligent ever fitted to a Range Rover – could cope with the heat “in pursuit of maximum client cabin comfort”. JLR says all cars surpassed expectations.
The test mules are also being thrown up Big Red, a 300ft sand dune in the heart of Sharjah’s Al Badayer desert, to test the EV’s new Intelligent Torque Management system, which replaces a conventional ABS-based traction control system.
This is claimed to improve traction control off road by diverting power to each electric motor to reduce torque reaction time from around 100 milliseconds to as little as one millisecond. JLR says, after five continuous attempts, none of the cars demonstrated any fall in performance.
Product engineering director Thomas Müller said: “A hot climate is one of the most challenging for any battery-electric vehicle, because of the need to cool the cabin and optimise battery performance at the same time.
“The additional challenge of driving on sand requires controlled low-speed torque, so our specially developed traction control and thermal management systems work in harmony to ensure power delivery is unaffected.
“Our tests have shown that in this climate, repeatedly driving the equivalent of 100 metres uphill on fine sand, Range Rover Electric matches the performance of its ICE equivalents; in some instances, even surpassing them – thanks to the introduction of these new features.”
Like the cars pictured in the Arctic Circle, these Range Rover EV mules are shown completely uncamouflaged – a decision made to "underline the build quality of the initial prototypes", according to JLR.
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Thierry Bollore killed off the new Jaguar XJ claiming the platform was outdated, then released it as the new Range Rover. With it, killing off the all-electric XJ, so what makes this any different than what Bollore said was out of date?
Bollore killed off Jaguar, and for what? Jaguar should have been taken through a hybrid period, not destroyed by the world's worst automotive CEO. And the JLR board should hold their heads in shame they weren't as smart as the Renault board who fired Bollore! Daft enough to continue with the Bollore plan even after it was obvious to anyone it was only ever going to fail.
Now with Jaguar close to revealing their £100k EV just as the market collapses. Will they regret telling 99% of Jaguar customers to F* off? That Govern says they're too poor to afford one of his designs?
Unreal incompetence.
They should have been revealing a new Jaguar EV, but no, just another 3 tone SUV.
JLR have done something even British Leyland couldnt do, theyve killed Jaguar.
Simple answer to that, Labd Rover makes all the money to spend on unprofitable Jaguars like the XE. I love Jaguar but they need to turn a profit.
Very sad what incompetent management at JLR has done. Jaguar should have continued to develop their cars with hybrid platforms, and the iPace should have been also released as a type of Evoke Range Rover. The E-Voke???
Now they're going fully electric just at a time where the upper end EV market collapses. Not that those buying a £30k XE were ever going to afford a £100k McGovern slab.