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July 23,
2008
This Week:
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Land Rover’s Diesel ERAD Hybrid
& e_TERRAIN TECHNOLOGIES

Land Rover’s engineers are now
conducting real-world tests with some ground-breaking Diesel
ERAD Hybrid vehicles, aimed at dramatically cutting CO2 and
other emissions while still delivering characteristic Land Rover
all-terrain performance. These engineering ‘mules’ are based on
Freelander 2 vehicles, but the technology is designed to be
scalable and modular, so could be applied across a variety of
Land Rover models and powertrains.
This programme is one of a broad
range of sustainability-focused engineering programmes that Land
Rover is pursuing, brought together by the company under the
collective name e_TERRAIN TECHNOLOGIES.
In addition to these Diesel ERAD
Hybrids, Land Rover is developing a range of other
emissions-busting and fuel-saving technologies that will start
appearing on its production vehicles from now and over the next
decade. These range from a stop-start function – which will be
available next year as standard on all manual diesel Freelander
2 models – to other advanced hybrid systems and lightweight
vehicle architectures.
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“Our innovative ERAD technology
featured in the LRX concept car unveiled earlier this year, and
we’re now starting to deliver on our sustainability commitments
with full, on-road prototypes,” says Phil Popham, Land Rover’s
Managing Director. “These Diesel ERAD Hybrids mark a crucial
point for Land Rover, where engineering concept is seen to
become reality and our vehicles start to combine their
formidable all-terrain capability with our radical new e_TERRAIN
TECHNOLOGIES.” |
Diesel ERAD Hybrid overview
Land Rover’s Diesel ERAD Hybrid was
developed as part of a multi-million-pound project supported by the UK
Government’s Energy Saving Trust, under the low carbon research and
development programme. The objective is to develop a ‘parallel’ hybrid
drive system compatible with all-terrain four-wheel-drive capability. As
parallel hybrids, the vehicles can be driven solely by electric power or
by the diesel engine, or by a combination of both. The system is
designed to reduce CO2 by more than 20 per cent under the NEDC test
cycle and to cut it by a substantial 30 per cent in ‘real-life’ urban
conditions where hybrid technologies really come into their own.
Under many circumstances, today’s
generation of petrol electric hybrids are little more efficient than the
best modern diesel engines without hybrid technology. So Land Rover’s
ambition is to add the benefits of a full hybrid system to modern, clean
and efficient diesel powertrains, giving a win-win situation. To help
deliver this, Land Rover has developed its own, unique Electric Rear
Axle Drive (ERAD) system, which actually has the potential to enhance
the vehicle’s all-terrain capability.
Photo: Land Rover
(July 22, 2008)
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