Geneva debut for electric Land Rover Defender

Replacing the standard 2.2-litre 95.17PS diesel engine on the Defender is a 100Ah battery pack, which has been incorporated into four all-electric research models being presented at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

The first of its kind electric prototype versions of the Defender model have been developed solely for research purposes by the British marquee. Powered by Europe’s foremost designers and producers of Lithium-ion battery systems for electric (EV), hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), Axeon has developed a bespoke battery system for the Land Rover Defender 110 models, and like in any road going EV, made the Defender a zero emissions vehicle. 

Speaking about Axeon's support on this project, Lawrence Berns, MD of Axeon, which is now part of the Johnson Matthey group, said: “We are delighted to be continuing to support Land Rover on this innovative and exciting project and are looking forward to seeing the results of the field trials with the selected partners.”

The battery is located in the engine bay area, allowing all-electric Defender vehicles to retain their ground clearance and phenomenal wading depth.

By incorporating Axeon’s proprietary Battery Management System (BMS) that monitors the battery state, measuring and controlling key operational parameters, the Land Rover electric Defender models can operate with higher levels of safety and warning especially in harsh environments that they have been built to withstand.

Battery system specification:

Total Pack Energy: 27.0 kWh

Approximate dimensions (mm): 1080 (L) x 780 (W) x 590 (H) 

Approximate weight: 410kg

Nominal Voltage: 300V 

Nominal Capacity: 100Ah

Maximum Pulse Power: 144 kW