JLR has revealed the EMA will be a ‘simple’ structure engineered around its floor-mounted batteries, which will be equipped with 800V hardware for rapid charging – so the electric Velar could match the 350kW maximum top-up speed of its upcoming Porsche and Audi contemporaries.
JLR also said earlier that the EMA’s bespoke electric motors will offer an efficiency of around 4-4.5 miles per kWh and be the “most torque dense” in class. This means the Velar and its similarly sized range-mates should ape the long-distance touring potential of their ICE forebears and be likely to improve on their low-speed off-road abilities.
The platform entered a late-stage engineering approval process nearly a year ago and test mules for the Velar EV are expected to hit public roads and test tracks in the coming months.
The reinvention of the Velar will be a pivotal moment in the evolution of the Range Rover brand. As part of JLR’s ground-up rethink, it will split its product lines into four core families – Jaguar, Defender, Discovery and Range Rover – in a bid to emphasise their different positioning and cultivate a stronger sense of relationship between top-rung flagships and entry-level models.
To that end, the electric Velar will no doubt take obvious styling and technical inspiration from its full-sized namesake but, like the current car, will be much smaller and more accessible in terms of price.
