► BEDEO and Protean Electric in-wheel motor tech usedThe idea of an in-wheel electric motor has been with us a long time. Benefits are said to include accurate wheel control, more power and grip and much less intrusion into passenger space compared to a more traditional electric car setup.
BEDEO has commercial partnerships with companies like DPD, DHL and Ocado for converting combustion-powered delivery companies into electric ones using its own technology, and it has also worked with Stellantis in 2019 to electrify some of its commercial vehicles. In-wheel motors by Protean Electric also powered the NEVS Emily GT – a project that was created in part by former Saab engineers.
Why a Defender first? The team say they’re legendary enough to be memorable and desirable conversion targets, but not too rare that converting one would be seen as sacrilege. Older generations of the Porsche 911 are being posited as a potential future conversion, which isn’t a new concept – we’ve drivenFor the Reborn Electric Defender, the engine and driveshafts have been chucked out and a battery and four in-wheel motors have taken their place.
A very retro steering wheel, petite seats and a chunky dashboard all feature. You sit imperiously high up, as always, and there’s barely any room for your elbow against the skinny doors. Again – a Defender specialty.Turn a physical key, drop the handbrake and poke ‘D’ and you’re away, with the pedestrian safety hum that EVs are meant to have being the same one that Stellantis uses for its current electrified models – funny, that.
Going off the beaten path in true Defender style down some green lanes proves the perennial Land Rover hasn’t lost any of its off-road ability. In fact, we’d argue that changing to an electrified powertrain has made going off road in a Defender even simpler. There are no ker-thunk-ing of levers, engaging of differential locks or even just feeding in power via a traditionally sluggish gearbox – the BEDEO Defender just glides over rough terrain.
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