Range Rover fires engine on new all-electric model
Range Rover has turned the ignition on its first-ever fully electric vehicle - providing another boost to the West Midlands' manufacturing sector.
The luxury car brand has announced today that the waiting list for the new model has now opened, with vehicles set to be ready for customers next year.
The Range Rover Electric will be built at its plant in Solihull following the recent launch of a new £70 million underbody facility[1] while batteries and electric drive units will be assembled for the first time at parent company's Jaguar Land Rover's[2] new Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre, in Wolverhampton.
Range Rover said it had filed more patents for this vehicle than any other in its history as it now enters a phase of testing prototypes in all weather conditions, different terrains and wading through up to 85cm of water.
A year's worth of virtual development has already been undertaken and global on-road testing has now started, in temperatures ranging from -40C to +50C.
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Future owners of the car will benefit from energy partnerships, software-over-the-air updates and intelligent technology to maximise range but there is no indication yet of price.
Automotive expert Professor David Bailey, who works in the University of Birmingham's business school, told BusinessLive: "Range Rover has been the ultimate premium SUV for decades.
"It's great to see it going fully electric and the new electric Range Rover being designed, engineered and built in the United Kingdom, with assembly here in the West Midlands at the Solihull plant.
"In addition, news that batteries and electric drive units will be built and assembled at JLR's Wolverhampton plant is terrific news.
"It's a big win for West Midlands auto. Hats off to the management and workers who have made this possible."
In 2021, Jaguar Land Rover announced its 'Reimagine' strategy[5] which sees the business aiming to be net zero carbon by 2039 and able to offer all its cars in pure electric form by the end of the decade.
Every Range Rover is already available as an electric hybrid.
Managing director Geraldine Ingham said: "Since going on sale in 2021, the latest generation Range Rover has set a new benchmark for desirability. Across the globe, we're seeing the highest levels of client demand in our 53-year history.
"Because of this unprecedented success story, we're now opening the official waiting list for the opportunity to be among the first to place a pre-order for the most-anticipated Range Rover of recent times."
Thomas Müller, executive director of product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover, added: "We are on target to create the quietest and most refined Range Rover ever created.
"Created in the heart of the UK, the Range Rover Electric will slot into the range alongside its mild hybrid and plug-in electric hybrid siblings, offering a breadth of options to meet our clients' needs."
References
- ^ a new £70 million underbody facility (www.business-live.co.uk)
- ^ Jaguar Land Rover's (www.business-live.co.uk)
- ^ Click through here to sign up for our email newsletter (www.business-live.co.uk)
- ^ BusinessLive West Midlands LinkedIn page here. (www.linkedin.com)
- ^ In 2021, Jaguar Land Rover announced its 'Reimagine' strategy (www.business-live.co.uk)