FIRST DRIVE: Range Rover Electric. King of the hill, or stuck in a rut?
Welcome to Goodwood Motor Circuit where I am here to see a very special car. The Range Rover. Yes, I know you’ve seen the Range Rover before, but you haven’t seen this one because after what seems like years of hearing it’s coming next year. No, no, it’s coming next year. Next year has finally arrived. And this is the prototype Range Rover Electric. In this video, I’m going to get behind the wheel for the very first time, tell you everything that we know about it. But before we get started, please subscribe. Can you believe it’s 55 years since Range Rover first appeared on the scene, and it’s celebrating its anniversary, not by looking back to its history, but by looking towards its electric future. Rock craw. I love it. Oh my lord. Wow. That is insane. Normally when we get to see a new model as exciting as this, there’s a bit of a fanfare. There’s lights and smoke and mirrors and a silky cover gets whipped off. But as you can see, because visually this looks no different to any other Range Rover model, irrespective of powertrain. There’s no need for that today. In fact, the only reason you’ll be able to tell this apart is the dual charging ports, which will be on either side. The production car will get some different wheels, and there will be a slightly different grill on the front. There won’t even be an EV badge on the car. And I guess that’s because Range Rover customers, well, you know, they know what they want. What they want is this. And that is what Land Rover has delivered to them. What that means is that all the really exciting stuff about the Range Rover Electric is the stuff that we can’t see, the technology. So, this is where all the magic happens. What do we know so far? Well, as you can see, there’s a fairly whopping battery in there. It’s 118 kwatt hours. Um, it’s actually double stacked in there because, well, you know, the height and all that allows them to do that. Um, it’s powering two motors, one at each axle. Um, the whole thing is built on an 800vt architecture, which means that it’s capable of charging speeds of up to 350 kW if you can find a charger quick enough. That means a 10 to 80% charging time of around 20 minutes, which is exactly what you need for a car like this. So, you can just quickly stop, top up, head off again. Um, one thing that I think is really smart is that 22 kW AC charging is available across the range. And as I’ve already said, there are dual charging ports on the car. Now, this has been thought through so that lots of those lamp post charges that you see in city streets, it means that the car can come and park and it doesn’t really matter which way you come in, you’ll be able to have AC charging on either side of the car. Really, really clever feature. What else to tell you? range would be good, wouldn’t it? So, um, look, I’ve been told upwards of 300 miles. It’s too early to get those figures confirmed yet. Um, in terms Oh, in terms of charging, now this battery can do a really clever trick. So, what the 800 volt architecture can do is if you turn up at a charger that can’t support those speeds is it does the thing that Porsches do and it splits into two separate 400vt units which will charge simultaneously and is really smart. Um, the other thing that this should absolutely have, we’re just not sure yet if it’s going to do, is vehicle to load, vehicle to grade. If ever a car was meant for that with a battery of this size, but also the kind of uses the owners have for this, it is this car. So, they’re not confirming whether vehicle to load will be on the final production version. I’d be surprised if it’s not. A challenge for the engineering team was that a Range Rover is just as likely to be found in the city as it is out in the desert or in sub-zero conditions. And that’s where things get a bit tricky. You see, battery chemistry doesn’t like extreme temperatures. EV batteries are a bit like Goldilocks. They work best when they’re not too hot, not too cold, just right. Get it wrong and you’ll see reduced range, sluggish acceleration, and slower charging. None of which are very Range Rover. So to manage all of those different variables, the team has built a really sophisticated thermal management system. So what it does is automatically juggle over 300 settings to find the best balance between cabin comfort, charging speed, range, whatever it is that you need the car to do. So, you get a heat pump as standard, as you’d expect, because weight, but unusually, the heat pump can harvest energy at down to -15°, lower than you would normally expect. And overall, this car is 40% more efficient than any previous JLR car. Now, one of the big questions about this car is, of course, weight. And they say it’s going to weigh a little more than the existing plug-in hybrid version. We’re not sure of the final figures yet, and I do suspect that efficiency isn’t going to be the electric Range Rover’s chief strength. Although, of course, we’ll wait to see how it does for range when we get the chance to drive it and when we see the final figures. And on the subject of driving, let’s go and do that. [Music] So when they said come to Goodwood Motor Circuit right in the middle of the Festival of Speed and drive the electric Range Rover, I got quite excited because I thought we’ll be going around the circuit. We’ll be testing out all that instant power, all those naugh to 60 times. It’s a different kind of drive. As you can see, we’re putting it through its paces on a man-made obstacle course. And that’s because they are really keen to point out that yes, this is electric, but it’s a Range Rover first and foremost, and it has to be able to do everything that a Range Rover can do, whatever the powertrain is. And if we know one thing, it’s that electric cars are capable of being excellent off-road. Of course, one of the massive advantages of going electric in a car like this is how great it can be off-road. EVs deliver instant torque. The moment you touch the pedal, as I’m doing now, it makes them incredibly capable. Whether you’re climbing like this or crawling or tackling tricky terrain, you also get really precise control because you’ve got no gears. There’s no lag, no risk of stalling. smooth, predictable power as and when you need it, which is ideal. This is really quite insane doing this in a car that is absolutely silent though. What’s going to happen now is we reach the cusp of the hill. As I just start to tip over, one pedal driving starts to kick in. Should I just go for it? It starts to kick in and it’s slowly controlling the descent. absolutely effortlessly. It is absolutely extraordinary the control that you get. Natural hill control. If ever a car was meant to be electric, it’s got to be this one. With dual motors and software doing the job of locking diffs and managing grip, it can react faster than traditional systems. JLR says it’s a hundred times quicker managing slip than the ICE versions, and I could feel that instant response at work. It’s also, of course, noticeably quieter, which I’m going to be honest, does take a bit of getting used to. So, what is it like to drive? Well, it was a quick drive over an obstacle course. But, you know, Range Rover’s engineers talk about effortless progress, and I think that sums it up perfectly. The whole experience felt calm and controlled. I think it feels more refined than any petrol or diesel version I’ve ever driven. And because the battery and the motors are easier to package than an engine, there’s no compromise on off-road ability. They say the foring depth, the approach angles, and ground clearance all match or beat those of the regular car. On the road, well, performance should be just as impressive. Twin electric motors deliver 542 brake horsepower and around 627 pounds per foot of torque, making this the most powerful Range Rover short of the full fat SV. So, let’s talk rival, shall we? Um, and yeah, I guess on paper it probably has a few. Maybe the BMW iX, the Volvo EX90, possibly the Kia EV9, which I think probably says an awful lot for Kia and how far they’ve moved on, given that this is a vehicle that’s going to start, well, upwards of 130,000. But if I’m being honest, the reality is that Range Rover has always been in a class of its own. And you can say the same for this, the Range Rover electric. when it goes on sale in 2026, there’s not really going to be anything else like it. It’s a massively impressive package. Of course, we’ve got to spend longer in it. We’ve got to know more about the range, the efficiency, and drive it in the real world. But from what I’ve seen today, Range Rover has delivered with what it needed to do. But as always, make sure that you’re there to follow the journey with us because we will be driving it really soon. So, if you aren’t already, do subscribe to the channel, switch those notifications on, cuz if you’re into electric cars, big or small, this is the place to be. [Music] [Applause]
🎥 Subscribe to Electrifying YouTube: https://electrifyingcom.short.gy/KK1pbX
🎧 Electrifying Podcast: https://electrifyingcom.short.gy/Pogjfb
✉️Electrifying.com Newsletter: https://www.electrifying.com/newsletter
Follow Electrifying.com ⬇️
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/electrifyingcom
FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/electrifyingcom/
X: https://twitter.com/ElectrifyingCom
TIKTOK: https://tiktok.com/@electrifyingcom
#rangeroverelectric #rangerover #4x4electric #electriccars
Ginny’s at Goodwood to get behind the wheel of the very long-awaited all-electric Range Rover. On the surface, it might look familiar, but under the skin it’s a whole new beast, with twin motors, more than 300 miles of range and ultra-rapid charging. We break down everything we know so far, and give it a first drive to see if it still feels like a proper Rangie.
Looking for your next car? Electrifying.com will help make finding your next vehicle easier than ever. Compare expert car reviews and recommendations, and find your perfect car through https://www.electrifying.com
This video is brought to you with Andersen EV, the UK’s most awarded home charge point brand of 2024.
——————————————————————————————-
Check back for the latest new car reviews on everything electric
✅ the latest car reviews
✅ car advice and explainers
✅ used and new car guides
✅ head-to-heads
WANT MORE ELECTRIFYING.COM?
We upload new videos twice a week. Don’t miss one by subscribing now: https://bit.ly/3U9z1RE
Want to be the first to see our videos? Enable notifications.
Visit our website at https://www.electrifying.com/
SIgn up to our weekly newsletter https://bit.ly/3Ud6zyw
MORE ABOUT ELECTRIFYING.COM
Electrifying.com is the #1 destination for electric car reviews, explainers and guides. Founded by Ginny Buckley, we bring you the latest updates on EVs and in-depth reviews of the hottest new models. Whether you’re switching to electric or just curious, our plain-English guides and expert advice make it easy to navigate the world of electric cars. Stay informed, make confident decisions, and join the electric revolution with Electrifying.com!
#ElectricCars #EVReviews #SwitchToElectric #GinnyBuckley #NicolaHume #NickiShields #TomBarnard
