Land Rover has built seven electric Defenders that will be unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show next week. The research electric Land RoverDefender delivers zero emissions while still retaining its proven off-road capability.

“Investing in innovation has always been the life-blood of our business and our engineering teams are working hard to develop innovative new technology to provide sustainable motoring solutions,” said John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director.

Land Rover Defender Electric – Features

The electric Land Rover Defender is fitted with an electric motor that produces 70kW and 330Nm of torque and is coupled with a 300-volt lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 27kWh. In typical low-speed off-road conditions, the battery can last for up to eight hours with an estimated range of 80km. The battery can be fully charged with a 7kW fast-charger in four hours while a portable 3kW charger takes 10 hours. The 410kg battery is mounted in the front of the Defender and replaces the diesel engine.

Each electric Land Rover Defender features a single speed 2.7:1 reduction gearbox combined with the existing Defender four wheel drive system and differential lock. A modified version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response System has also been incorporated.

“This project is acting as a rolling laboratory for Land Rover to assess electric vehicles, even in the most arduous all-terrain conditions. It gives us a chance to evolve and test some of the technologies that may one day be introduced into future Land Rover models,” said Antony Harper, Jaguar Land Rover Head of Research.

The all-terrain electric Land Rover Defender will serve as research vehicles for now as they won’t go into production. However, the seven EV’s will go into service in specialist real world trials later this year.