Range Rover Electric prototypes tested on ice

Range Rover Electric prototypes have completed a second testing season in northern Europe’s extreme winter conditions.

New technology helps to optimise range and preserves charging capability, while maintaining cabin comfort in the coldest temperatures, says Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

The up to 72,420km of accumulated testing across frozen lakes and land has allowed engineers to put Range Rover Electric’s advanced thermal management system (ThermAssist) through a demanding testing schedule, adding single pedal driving was proven on challenging surfaces and in low grip conditions while testing of switchable, twin-chamber air suspension was also held.

The advanced on-board thermal management system reduces heating energy consumption by up to 40% and aims to recover heat to warm the propulsion system or cabin in ambient temperatures as low as minus10C, says JLR.

It also minimises the impact of extreme temperatures on charging performance, “Rigorous testing procedures in extreme and unpredictable conditions like those experienced in Arjeplog are crucial to Range Rover Electric’s real-world reliability and resilience,” says JLR product engineering executive director Thomas Müller.

“Our second winter season in the Arctic Circle has provided the perfect opportunity for us to put our new ThermAssist technology to the test, and it has surpassed our expectations. It will help to ensure Range Rover Electric’s range remains intelligently optimised while also ensuring charging speeds are maintained when a top-up is required.”

The high-voltage 800Volt battery is the first one to be designed and built in-house at JLR – optimised for energy density, range and charging times.

The electric luxury SUV benefits from cell-to-pack architecture providing the best possible performance, says JLR.

Range Rover Electric’s 117kWh battery is fully encased and smartly packaged, consisting of 344 prismatic cells in a double-stacked layout, it says.

In addition to slowing the vehicle and delivering charge into the battery from regenerative braking, single pedal driving is also tuned to work with Terrain Response and will bring the vehicle to a complete stop and will engage Hill Hold, enabling the driver to move off again without having touched the brakes, says JLR.

JLR vehicle engineering director Matt Becker says the Range Rover Electric prototypes marry all the essential Range Rover elements with new and advanced technologies.

“Thanks to its accurate torque delivery, which is more precise than ICE applications, its Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD) technology is able to distribute rear torque from 100% to 0% to prevent loss of traction.” he says.

 “Working with Integrated Traction Management, traction stability is maintained – controlling motor speed within 50 milliseconds and managing slip up to 100 times quicker than an ICE vehicle equivalent.”

JLR says Range Rover Electric prototypes will continue testing and development ahead of client reservations at the end of 2025.