Land Rover Hybrid On The Way
With governments worldwide instating stricter emissions standards and with demand for more fuel efficient vehicles steadily growing, it seems that every carmaker in the world is trying to get into the hybrid game. Well, let’s add another one to the list, because rumors are flying that Land Rover’s LRX hybrid concept is getting ready to become a full-fledged production vehicle. The only problem is that it is probably at least a couple years away from being released.
While the LRX may be a ways away, that isn’t stopping Land Rover from taking some fuel saving steps on their other products. One of the technologies expected to appear soon from the British manufacturer is start/stop engine system that will preserve gas when at a stop and also regenerative braking to take some of the electrical load off of the internal combustion engine.
The big tech going into the forthcoming LRX hybrid is expected to be Land Rover’s Electric Rear Axle Drive, a technology that the company debuted at a technology show in London last year. This drive system on its own is expected to cut fuel consumption by at least 20%, but, due to physical and development constraints, it cannot simply de retrofitted into an existing Land Rover chassis, so we’ll have to wait for them to iron out the kinks of the system, and debut a new chassis platform, before the system is found in a dealer showroom.
