According to Autocar, the Range Rover Velar will arrive as a classy electric SUV to rival the Porsche Macan EV. It will boast impressive improvements in performance while becoming increasingly practical.
While sister company Jaguar introduced its first electric vehicle, the I-Pace SUV, several years ago, we're still waiting on Land Rover. Both companies have plans for many EVs in the future, and the electric SUV based on the Range Rover Velar is the first step for Land Rover. Later, the automaker will produce EV versions of the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport.
The Velar just came to market as a brand-new SUV for the 2018 model year. Since then, it has seen many updates and feature additions, but it has remained largely unchanged.
Next year, Land Rover will begin converting its Halewood, Merseyside, factory into the home for electric Velar production. This will mark a major step forward for Land Rover.
EV versions of the Evoque and Discovery Sport have been on the table for some time, but there wasn't any official news about what would become of the Velar until recently. Sales have been disappointing, and the chip shortage didn't help. It seems it's time for Land Rover to make a change.
It will build the new fully electric Velar on a new dedicated skateboard platform called EMA. The Jaguar F-Pace, which currently shares the D7 architecture with the Velar, will also become a fully electric SUV using the EMA platform.
The new platform is considered very straightforward, with floor-mounted batteries and 800-volt architecture for super-quick charging. Land Rover will need to be able to compete with the likes of Audi and Porsche's EVs at can charge at 350 kW.
Land Rover is also working to ensure that the EMA platform benefits from increased efficiency while also increasing torque density. The company says the goal for efficiency is about 4 to 4.5 miles per kWh while being the "most torque dense" in the class.
Finally, the electric Velar will obviously be designed to be an off-road champ. JLR showed off some of this capability already in the I-Pace, but we can only imagine it will be a segment leader when it comes to its rugged design, strong performance, and exceptional off-road prowess.
