What is it?
Land Rover Land_e
What's special about it?
Land Rover's Land_e concept doesn't look like a real car and it's not. It's more like a science project, the answer to the question, "What would happen if I made an SUV more environmentally friendly without sacrificing an ounce of off-road capability?"
Actually, it's a series of answers that Land Rover calls e-Terrain technologies, and most will find their way into future Land Rover production vehicles.
The new e-Terrain Response system is the biggest achievement, integrating electric-drive components with traditional mechanical-drive components in a dual-range four-wheel-drive system. The e-Terrain Response system works with either a gasoline or diesel engine, according to Land Rover.
The system includes an electrically driven rear axle that can provide sole propulsion for a Land Rover at low speeds, much like on today's hybrids. And in off-road situations, the e-Terrain electric motor can team up with the engine to provide extra low-end torque for scaling steep grades.
"We can also use the electric motor to pulse individual wheels to keep them from bogging in sand," said Paul Newsome, chief engineer of advanced product development for Land Rover. Not only does this cut fuel consumption, it enhances the vehicle's rough-terrain capability.
Additionally, the e-Terrain system uses regenerative braking to recharge its lithium-ion battery pack.
Another interesting aspect of the Land_e is an automatically disconnecting propshaft that discontinues rear-drive assistance during low-demand driving situations — cruising on dry, flat pavement, for instance. This eliminates unnecessary rotational losses and improves fuel economy. When four-wheel traction is again required, the propshaft immediately reconnects, with the rear electric motor ensuring a correct matching of wheel speeds.
The final component is the Integrated Starter-Generator system, which functions much like a hybrid engine's idle-stop feature and replaces the traditional alternator. It shuts off the gas or diesel engine at stops to conserve fuel and charges the main battery while the Land Rover is in motion.
Among the other advances on the Land_e concept is the Intelligent Thermal Program, which recovers heat normally lost through the exhaust system to promote faster engine warmup to reduce emissions. The system even manipulates Active Aero Vanes to prevent cool air from entering through the radiator when it's not needed — on very cold mornings, for example.
The Land_e also has corrosion-resistant fuel system components designed to tolerate 25-percent blends of renewable biodiesel fuel, compared to 5-percent blends on today's production Land Rovers. This is particularly important news for the European market, where over 90 percent of Land Rovers are sold with a diesel engine.
What's Edmunds' take?
Land Rover says the e-Terrain four-wheel-drive system could reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by up to 20 percent. Using higher biodiesel blends could provide an additional 25-percent improvement. And taken as a whole, the Land_e's technology could offer 30-percent better fuel economy.
"We are not prepared to dilute the essence of Land Rover," says Managing Director Matthew Taylor. "But we are committed to improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions."
Now that auto manufacturers have acknowledged that fuel consumption and emissions are critical near-term issues, some of them are getting very creative. And we like creativity. — Erin Riches
Land Rover Land_e
What's special about it?
Land Rover's Land_e concept doesn't look like a real car and it's not. It's more like a science project, the answer to the question, "What would happen if I made an SUV more environmentally friendly without sacrificing an ounce of off-road capability?"
Actually, it's a series of answers that Land Rover calls e-Terrain technologies, and most will find their way into future Land Rover production vehicles.
The new e-Terrain Response system is the biggest achievement, integrating electric-drive components with traditional mechanical-drive components in a dual-range four-wheel-drive system. The e-Terrain Response system works with either a gasoline or diesel engine, according to Land Rover.
The system includes an electrically driven rear axle that can provide sole propulsion for a Land Rover at low speeds, much like on today's hybrids. And in off-road situations, the e-Terrain electric motor can team up with the engine to provide extra low-end torque for scaling steep grades.
"We can also use the electric motor to pulse individual wheels to keep them from bogging in sand," said Paul Newsome, chief engineer of advanced product development for Land Rover. Not only does this cut fuel consumption, it enhances the vehicle's rough-terrain capability.
Additionally, the e-Terrain system uses regenerative braking to recharge its lithium-ion battery pack.
Another interesting aspect of the Land_e is an automatically disconnecting propshaft that discontinues rear-drive assistance during low-demand driving situations — cruising on dry, flat pavement, for instance. This eliminates unnecessary rotational losses and improves fuel economy. When four-wheel traction is again required, the propshaft immediately reconnects, with the rear electric motor ensuring a correct matching of wheel speeds.
The final component is the Integrated Starter-Generator system, which functions much like a hybrid engine's idle-stop feature and replaces the traditional alternator. It shuts off the gas or diesel engine at stops to conserve fuel and charges the main battery while the Land Rover is in motion.
Among the other advances on the Land_e concept is the Intelligent Thermal Program, which recovers heat normally lost through the exhaust system to promote faster engine warmup to reduce emissions. The system even manipulates Active Aero Vanes to prevent cool air from entering through the radiator when it's not needed — on very cold mornings, for example.
The Land_e also has corrosion-resistant fuel system components designed to tolerate 25-percent blends of renewable biodiesel fuel, compared to 5-percent blends on today's production Land Rovers. This is particularly important news for the European market, where over 90 percent of Land Rovers are sold with a diesel engine.
What's Edmunds' take?
Land Rover says the e-Terrain four-wheel-drive system could reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by up to 20 percent. Using higher biodiesel blends could provide an additional 25-percent improvement. And taken as a whole, the Land_e's technology could offer 30-percent better fuel economy.
"We are not prepared to dilute the essence of Land Rover," says Managing Director Matthew Taylor. "But we are committed to improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions."
Now that auto manufacturers have acknowledged that fuel consumption and emissions are critical near-term issues, some of them are getting very creative. And we like creativity. — Erin Riches
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