Ecomento.com: It now looks likely that we’ll get an official Range Rover Plug-in Hybrid in the foreseeable future, but it won’t be the first time a plug socket has been attached to the iconic British SUV.
That’s because Liberty Electric Cars brought us the e-Range a couple of of years ago, and now the same company is launching its first electric delivery vehicle.
Work on the DELIVER began in 2011 with the aim of creating a light commercial vehicle tailor-made for urban routes. It uses two in-wheel electric motors for propulsion, which its maker says gives it 18 percent more load capacity than vans with a similar wheelbase, and features a ‘walk in door’ (facilitated by a the removal of its kerb-side B-pillar) for delivering awkward cargo.
Liberty’s zero-emissions van arrives just in time to challenge the Nissan e-NV200 – a plain but undeniably effective vehicle based on the LEAF and currently being assembled in Barcelona. Both will aim to tempt businesses with the promise of cheap running costs, tax breaks, and the ability to undertake a number of routes on a single charge.
A ‘minimum’ electric range of 60 miles is substantially less than the Nissan’s combined 100 miles of autonomy, however, and both vehicles have a payload of around 700kg. Both vehicles use a lithium-ion battery pack, but while the e-NV200 can quick charge to 80 percent capacity in around 30 minutes, no details have been announced for the DELIVER.
The project is under the umbrella of Green Automotive Company, which already has a number of commercial electric vehicles to its name. Prices or production volumes for the DELIVER are yet to be confirmed.
