Land Rover Heaven

Just add wilderness

• Power
  • 150kW
• Torque
  • 310Nm
• CO2 per mile
  • 0 kg

Jason Momoa is on a mission.

All of us are ultimately connected to the ocean, the ocean is heavily impacted by climate change and that means taking action wherever and whenever you can. Transport emissions are part of the picture and when enjoying the great outdoors, EV leaves no footprint and the tranquility and sheer capability of an electric four-wheel-drive makes the experience even better. The four-wheel-drives of yesteryear are light on their feet and truly at home in the wilds. Why not make them electric…?

The 80” Land Rover is the original iconic British 4×4: inspired by the Willys Jeep, sketched in the sand on an Anglesea beach in 1947, and conceived as a work horse for agriculture and industry. This iconic vehicle was followed by the Series 2a in 1958, and immediately the Martin Walter Company (an English coach-builder formed in 1773) started turning them into camper vans. The iconic Land Rover Dormobile was born.

Key challenges of making a pure Series Land Rover EV

The core of the Land Rover is its overall architecture, and its transmission. The transfer box is what delivers the iconic offroad performance and in the Series 2a the transmission gave you optional two-wheel drive too. It is also an essential part of the charm of the vehicles – red and yellow knobs and levers ready to take you literally anywhere.

To preserve all this complex functionality meant retaining the original transfer box. To do this, with one of our partners we developed a bespoke fixed-ratio reduction gearbox, which bolts directly to the transfer box and fits between it and the electric motor. This means that the motor runs more efficiently, and (more importantly) the maximum possible torque is available at the wheels!

The vehicles excel offroad, and our proprietary software enables the true qualities of the EV drive to shine through. The throttle pedal creates variable engine-braking (regen) in offroad mode and this can be multiplied for really steep descents. This enables the driver to glide effortlessly over mixed ground and steep ascents and descents.

As ever with Electrogenic, no part of the Land Rovers was cut, drilled or welded – as is fitting for such original vehicles. The rest is just about keeping it light – and tuning, tuning and tuning in all road and offroad conditions.

80” Land Rover Series 1 EV – 1949 and in its original paint

46kWh battery located in the engine bay, CCS super-fast charging, range of 150+ miles

150kW motor with a bespoke 2:1 fixed reduction gearbox that bolts directly to the original transfer box, thus retaining all of the original functionality of the Land Rover 4WD transmission

We placed all the batteries in the engine bay and gave the battery box a special “Land Rover Series aged look”, so that when Jason opened the bonnet/hood it would look at home with the original paint. We mounted the motor and reduction drive in the original gearbox tunnel – and then we re-connected the low ratio and 4WD levers, and the 4WD release. The original gear lever was re-purposed as a forward/neutral/reverse selector.

All the original gauges were re-purposed to show the new information, with the fuel gauge showing state-of-charge. We even re-designed our electronics to shrink it to fit inside the tiny Series 1 dashboard housing.

Then we tuned the car, dialling back the torque by about 70% to respect the original drivetrain, and to help reduce involuntary exits when cornering in a car with shiny seats and no doors! The car has “sports”, “town” and “eco” mode, and when you put it into low-ration it automatically switches into offroad mode which enables effortless hill descents and travel over mixed ground.

The result? It’s huge fun! Light, easy to drive and pure joy on wheels.

Land Rover Series 2a 109 Dormobile EV – 1961

62kWh battery located in the engine bay, CCS super-fast charging, range of 150 miles

120kW motor with a bespoke 2.9:1 fixed reduction gearbox that bolts directly to the original transfer box, thus retaining all of the original functionality of the Land Rover 4WD and optional 2WD transmission

We placed the batteries in the engine bay and behind the rear axle (where the fuel tank was). We mounted the motor and reduction drive in the original gearbox tunnel – and then we re-connected the low ratio and 4WD levers.The original gear lever was re-purposed as a forward/neutral/reverse selector.

All the original gauges were re-purposed to show the new information, with the fuel gauge showing state-of-charge.

Then we tuned the car to make the most of its increased torque, finesse the profiles for high and low-ratio drive modes, and add three offroad modes as for the Series 1. We also converted the camper part of the vehicle to all-electric, including an induction hob instead of gas.

The result? A smooth, quiet old lady that can take you anywhere and make you a cup of tea when you get there. What more can you ask!

[ Feature image: © HBO Max. On The Roam: Season 2 ]