Yahoo Autos Land Rover Range Rover Electric prototypes endure winter testing
Land Rover has put it (almost) all out there with the new Range Rover Electric prototype, camouflaging the vehicle in nothing more than a flat black paint job. The testers have begun their global torture testing, drifting the coming Range across Sweden's frozen lakes in what we'll guess is Arjeplog, one of the favored spots for testing vehicle drifts and snow drifts at -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Our suspicions from the first teasers appear confirmed, that the full-size flagship won't veer much from the ICE-powered versions with respect to looks. The minimalist design is all there, down to the grille and lower intake. The upper portion isn't a flat panel on the prototype, it's shaped to look like the standard car's. Below, the highlighted twin bars could be the EV's primary signature, how it's told from its conventional counterparts from a distance. The previous teaser also revealed wheel center caps inscribed with "EV." Any of this could be tweaked for production, of course.
The Automotive News future product pipeline says to expect a dual-motor powertrain. All we know about output is the promise of "V8 levels of performance." Since the battery-electric model can be expected to weigh more than the 5,985-pound, ICE-powered, SV trim, we're looking for the electric version's output to match the feeling of the 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque the SV gets from its BMW-sourced, twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8. An 800-volt architecture will ensure quick refill times for what's certain to be a stout battery.
