It will be enough to make a Lion jump..Axeon and Jaguar Land Rover South Africa have worked together to produce an electric version of the Defender for use in game parks, minimising both environmental and noise pollution.
The model has already proven that it can get closer to the wildlife thanks to its silent running and has been rigorously tested to prove that it is up for the tough job of transporting visitors across reserves at the gruelling Gerotek test facility.
Proving it is able to cope with the extreme weather conditions the country has to offer, Axeon’s 28.8 kWh lithium ion battery system has been fitted to a Land Rover Defender 110 High Capacity Pick Up replaces the standard 2.4-litre diesel engine. It is not just extreme heat the new EV system has to cope with, the rugged terrain meant that Axeon fitted the system in the vehicle’s engine bay rather than the floor, in order to maintain vital ground clearance and wading height.
The bespoke battery system also incorporates Axeon’s proprietary Battery Management System (BMS), which monitors the battery state, measuring and controlling key operational parameters, thus ensuring safety – particularly important for an electric vehicle that may encounter challenging driving conditions.
The replacement of the engine means that the production vehicle’s tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions of 295g/km have been reduced to zero. In testing the range was shown to be capable of 3 times a typical game drive on a single charge. With no charging points in the middle of a game reserve, the new model should prove that ‘range anxiety’ is for the weak (to think people worry about running out of battery power on a short run of the M6! At least there is no hungry lions waiting for you there).
Whilst the electric Defender has been designed specifically for the game park sector, the two firms hope that there will be numerous other potential applications their prototype vehicle, where reducing environmental and/or noise emissions are a priority.
The electric Defender will be launched as a concept vehicle at INDABA, one of Africa’s largest tourism events, held in Durban, South Africa, from 7th to 10th May 2011.
