Rapid Charging Tests Done on Range Rover Plug-in Prototypes

Jaguar Land Rover hybrids make up for lost time by testing for Rapid Charging. Everyone’s already commented on how “late in the game” Land Rover was with the whole hybrid business, but that doesn’t mean that their technology needs to be just as “slow”. The five prototypes of the plug-in diesel electric hybrid version of the Range Rover Sport were seen being tested for E-on Rapid Charging in Great Britain.

This fast-charge option only takes 20 minutes, compared to more than four hours of charging time using a slow charger. This is according to the reports made by JustAuto.com. Slow chargers cost about $3 million. Jaguar Land Rover announced last December that the diesel-electric hybrid version of the Range Rover Sport would debut in 2012. The improved fuel efficiency means that the hybrid SUV would be emitting only 100g/km of CO2.

This is only 1/3 of the CO2 emission announced by its rival, the Lexus RX450h. Earlier road tests of the Rover hybrid revealed that it can run at a top speed of 120 mph. The actual tests reveal even lower CO2 emissions at only 70g/km. The electric-only driving range of this vehicle is also impressive at 20 miles.

This is good news for the company as Range Rover is being pressured by the government to improve the CO2 footprints of its SUV fleet. The company has also been busy developing stop-start systems for its manual gear boxes. They said that they will be developing the same technology for automatic transmissions by the end of 2011.