Gaydon, England - Engineers at Land Rover are currently conducting real-world tests with Diesel ERAD (Electric Rear Axle Drive) Hybrid vehicles, aimed at dramatically cutting CO2 and other emissions while still delivering characteirstic all-terrain performance. These engineering “mules” are based on Freelander 2 vehicles, but the technology is designed to be scalable and modular, enabling it to be applied across a variety of Land Rover models and powertrains.

The program is one of a broad range of sustainability-focused engineering programs that Land Rover is pursuing, brought together under the collective name e_Terrain Technologies.

In addition to the Diesel ERAD Hybrids, Land Rover is developing a range of emissions- and fuel-saving technologies that will start appearing on its production vehicles from now and over the next decade, ranging from a start-stop function that will be available next year on all manual diesel Freelander 2 models, to other advanced hybrid systems and lightweight vehicle architectures.

“Our innovative ERAD technology featured in the LRX concept car was unveiled earlier this year, and we’re now starting to deliver on our sustainability commitments with full, on-road prototypes,” said Phil Popham, Land Rover 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 radial new e_Terrain Technologies.”

The ERAD Hybrid was developed as part of a multi-million-pound project supported by the U.K. Government’s Energy Saving Trust, under the low carbon research and development program. The objective is to develop a “parallel” hybrid drive system, which can be driven solely by electric power or by the diesel engine, compatible with all-terrain four-wheel drive capability. The system is designed to reduce CO2 by more than 20 per cent under the NEDC test cycle and to cut it by 30 per cent in “real-life” urban conditions.