The electric Land Rover Defender won't arrive until the next generation at the earliest
Land Rover has no plans to produce an electric version of the Defender model until the next generation is available. JLR's chief commercial officer, Lennard Hoornik, told Autocar that 100 per cent electrification of the current model on the D7x platform is a challenge due to limited battery space without compromising the vehicle's off-road capabilities.
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Although Land Rover already offers a plug-in hybrid version of the Defender with a four-cylinder engine, an all-electric modification would require significant design changes. Hornick emphasised that a new platform would be required to integrate the necessary electric drive components without compromising the SUV's performance.
Jaguar Land Rover is committed to offering electric models for each of its sub-brands, including Range Rover, Discovery, Jaguar and Defender. However, the realisation of an electric Defender requires a "significant step in model development", which is likely to happen with the release of the next generation.
Thus, electric vehicle enthusiasts will have to wait until the next generation of the model before seeing an all-electric version of this iconic SUV.
Source: Autocar
