 |
When one thinks of an off-road vehicle, no doubt they are thinking of a heavily suspensioned vehicle with a strong powertrain or diesel engine that can take it across anything the land has to push on it.
Electric hybrids are for the mamby pampies. The moms who drive their kids to their soccer games or movies on the flat clean surfaces of city streets.
Well, be prepared for a big surprise. Jeep and Land Rover showcased an off-road electric vehicle at this year’s Detroit Auto Show.
The Jeep Renegade concept was designed to determine the possibilities of some day offering an electric dune buggy-style vehicle. It features 268 horsepower electric motors with a lithium-ion (of course) battery pack to provide the 40 miles range. Jeep is also showing a Renegade that has a 115 horsepower, 1.5 liter three cylinder diesel engine for added power and which gives the vehicle a range of 400 miles. The brand says that the latter has a fuel economy of about 110 mpg.
Land Rover has been showing its LRX concept vehicle for some time. Along with a 2.0 liter clean diesel engine,it also has an electric motor allowing it to run on electric power alone below 20 mph.
So why all this fuss about off-road EVs? Well, one group that needs a reliable off-road vehicle is the U.S. Army. It has the same concerns as the public, i.e., it wants to save gas. Currently it has a contract with Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide to construct a diesel-electric “Alternative Mobility Vehicle” called the Aggressor.
More details can be found at MSNBC. Our take? It appears that electric may soon become king of the road and the off-road, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment