Range Rover Sport hybrid will emit just 100g/km of CO2
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
Land Rover says that the Range Rover Sport hybrid that it is currently developing will be tested next year and will be launched in 2012. Land Rover claims that this hybrid emits only 100g/km of CO2 and offers an electric-only range of up to 20 miles.
By next year, the company would have a fleet of up to five prototypes start shakedown tests ahead the launch. If the carmaker is able to achieve emissions this low, it would be considered a remarkable breakthrough and could elevate the Range Rover Sport‚ carbon emissions onto an equal footing with those of smaller, lighter vehicles like the Citro√´n C1 and Ford Focus Econetic. Continued after the jump!
The Range Rover Sport hybrid would compare favorably against the current market‚ sole hybrid SUV, the Lexus RX450h, which emits 148g/km of CO2. The new 3.0-litre V6 diesel motor will be used on the Range Rover Sport hybrid, which will also have a parallel arrangement for the 25kW electric motor. This setup allows it to run as an all-electric vehicle, just like a Toyota Prius. How Land Rover will attain the 20-mile electric-only range has not been disclosed but it is believed that the car will operate as a plug-in.
Surplus electrical energy will be stored in a conventional battery pack. In addition, the first-generation Land Rover hybrid is believed to feature conventional storage of the electrical charge rather than the ultra-capacitors that the firm has been testing. While ultra-capacitors deliver high voltages, they have low currents. Since the short, sharp energy boost that capacitors can deliver is well-suited to off-road driving, this technology is believed to be a good fit for Land Rover. A more conventional hybrid set-up has been chosen over the advanced ERAD electric rear axle design that was demonstrated last year in the Freelander.
[via autocar]
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