I’ve driven my fair share of electric cars – fast ones, slow ones, quirky ones. Even electric boats, which used to be about as thrilling as watching a refrigerator defrost. But an electric Land Rover Defender? Now that’s something to get an old petrolhead’s gears grinding.
Let’s not beat around the bush; the classic Defender wasn’t known for blistering speed, stellar fuel efficiency, or avoiding oil spots wherever it parked. But it was, and still is, an absolute icon. You could huck it off a cliff, abandon it under a leaky barn roof for decades, and the darn thing would probably still crank over and chug back to life.
Well, a plucky little British firm called Bedeo has taken the Defender’s rugged charm (and shortcomings) and given it an electrifying 21st-century twist. They’ve surgically removed the old truck’s clattering engine and replaced it with something a bit more…cutting-edge. Four ‘somethings’, actually.
Land Rover Defender EV Hub Motor Magic
These electric Defender sports hub motors – are compact electric motors tucked right into the wheels themselves! Forget about clunky driveshafts, differentials, and all that antiquated mechanical gubbins. With motors at each corner, every wheel gets direct power delivery.
And we’re not talking golf cart specs here. Bedeo has bestowed a frankly ludicrous 483 horsepower (360 kW) on this reborn Landie. For perspective, that’s substantially more grunt than the anemic stock gasoline models ever dreamed of. It’ll probably hit 60 mph quicker than you can blurt out “But where’s the engine?!”
Land Rover Defender EV Performance at a Glance
- 483 hp / 360 kW total power
- Instant torque from hub motors
- 0-60 mph: TBA but much quicker than stock
- (Claimed) 154 mile / 247 km range
That last number is perhaps the biggest caveat. With around 150 miles of range on a charge, this off-road EV isn’t a paragon of efficiency. Then again, have you seen the aerodynamics of a Defender recently? It’s got the slipperiness of a Toronto curling stone.
And let’s be honest – the original wasn’t really meant for highway cruising anyway. This truck is meant to get down and dirty off the beaten path.
The Charm Remains
Speaking of getting dirty, Bedeo claims their electric Defender maintains full-fledged off-road capability. Their photos show it merrily fording streams and bounding over rocky terrain, challenging the notion that EVs are delicate greenhouse ornaments.
Don’t try that in your neighbor’s Prius, I assure you.
Packaging an EV’s batteries and motors into a tough 4×4 is an ingenious move. With no need for bulky engine components, there’s more room for the really important stuff – like a big rubber duck on the dash, or a crate of beer on
the way back. You know, the essentials.
Best of all, none of the Defender’s iconic characters has been lost in translation. The clamshell bonnet, upright windscreen, and Alpine window lines are unmistakable. With a bit of creative electrical wizardry, the team has managed to retain all the vintage charm while exorcising the oily, wheezy demons.
A Classic Revisited
Of course, the million-dollar question looms: How much cash are we talking about to electrify your vintage British truck?
Bedeo hasn’t dropped any figures yet. But unless you’ve got oligarch-levels of disposable income, I’d wager this electric icon doesn’t come cheap. For the cost, you could probably buy a shiny new EV with vastly better range, performance, and tech.
Then again, those just don’t have the soul, do they?
Bedeo isn’t stopping at Defender conversions, either. With their novel hub motor designs, the company claims their systems can electrically resurrect all sorts of classic trucks, vans, boats – you name it.
Just imagine: Silent electric Jaguar E-Types gliding through villages. Milk float-quiet Minis zipping around town centers, free from parking angst. Or rumbling Land Rovers tackling African trails, leaving nothing but electrical currents in their wake.
Some may consider electrifying history a travesty. For others, it’s a chance to extend the life of beloved classic designs that would otherwise be doomed to the scrapyard.
Love it or hate it, this cheeky electric Defender conversion is a sign that the future is already here, poking its pixelated snout through the garage door. It’s quirky, possibly impractical, and sure to turn heads. But maybe, just maybe, it’s also the start of something truly exciting for all those classics we hold so dear.
