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Land Rover Range_e concept hybrid (2011)

By Mark Hamilton

First Official Pictures

18 February 2011 12:13

Land Rover will show off the new Range_e diesel-electric hybrid prototype for the first time at the 2011 Geneva motor show.

Haven't we seen the hybrid Range_e before?

Yes and no. CAR readers may be familiar with this modified Range Rover Sport, which was reported here in May 2010. However, this is the first time we've seen a working prototype of the Range_e in public; it presages a production hybrid due in 2013.

By mating Land Rover’s existing TDV6 diesel engine and upcoming ZF eight-speed automatic transmission with a plug-in parallel hybrid drive module, the Range_e boasts a most un-Land Rover-like CO2 rating of  89g/km. For comparison, a regular Range Sport TDV6 musters 243g/km of CO2, while the petrol-electric Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid manages 193g/km.

A pure EV mode in the Range_e offers a claimed 20 miles of zero-emissions motoring at speeds up to 70mph, allowing mums a quieter school-run and providing a handy rationalisation to use against eco-zealous guests at dinner parties. Top speed of the Range_e is 120mph, and Land Rover claim a rather rangey 690 miles between refuelling stops for the diesel-electric prototype.