Range Rover's first EV packs a huge battery and a 22-minute fast charge

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled its first electric SUV, the 2027 Range Rover Electric. This new model introduces an 800-volt battery system and dual-motor drivetrain, signifying a significant technical advancement for the brand. The vehicle, set to be manufactured at Jaguar Land Rover's Solihull plant in England, features a 118.5-kWh battery pack and two electric motors, promising an EPA range of at least 333 miles.

The SUV can charge at up to 350 kW, adding approximately 125 miles of range in 10 minutes, with a 10% to 80% charge expected to take 22 minutes. The Range Rover Electric is planned to arrive a year later than initially scheduled, as Jaguar Land Rover navigates supply-chain challenges, lower profits, a restructuring program, and the aftermath of a cyberattack that halted production for over a month last year.

To support this electrification, JLR has upgraded manufacturing operations in the West Midlands, training around 9,000 employees for electrification work and deploying another 1,500 workers to its Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton. The Range Rover Electric retains the SUV's distinctive shape, sporting a revised grille, aero-focused wheels, and a flat underbody.

Its motors, rated at 349 horsepower each, produce a combined 542 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, with a 24% efficiency improvement compared to those in the Jaguar I-Pace. The powertrain employs silicon-carbide inverters that can switch in under a millisecond, and each motor contains 144 copper hairpin windings with a 0.7-millimeter gap between the rotor and stator.

The battery pack, using nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry, boasts 10 modules arranged in a double-stack configuration. Aerogel spacers help manage heat between the cells, and the ThermAssist system recovers waste heat from the powertrain, potentially increasing range by 7% and reducing cabin-heating energy use by 40%. The SUV will feature a NACS charging port, Tesla Supercharger access, and ISO 15118 plug-and-charge capability on US-market vehicles.

Notably, the electric Range Rover weighs 165 pounds more than the V8 version but offers a lower center of gravity, increased chassis stiffness, and superior off-road capabilities. It can reach 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, has air suspension, twin-valve dampers, and rear-wheel steering, and is designed to be 7 decibels quieter than the V8.

The vehicle also incorporates an active noise-cancellation system and software-based torque management for traction control at the front and rear axles.