British Army Land Rover Defenders converted to electric power in one-year trial

The British Army has enlisted a defence engineering firm and an electric-car start-up to convert four Land Rover Defenders to battery power – trialling the technology before the armed forces phase out petrol and diesel from 2030.

Defence engineering firm Babcock has been contracted by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) to re-engineer four Land Rover military-specification Defenders with electric motors and batteries, with the work being carried out by electric-car conversion specialist Electrogenic. 

According to Babcock, the one-year contract was awarded to the companies to “help the (British) Army understand the benefits and constraints of electric propulsion”, ahead of the ... planned transition to electric vehicles from 2030.

The four Land Rover Defenders – which are currently in service with the British Army as two protected and two general service vehicles – will be assessed by the Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU) in ‘battlefield scenarios’ to determine the viability of using battery-powered vehicles in combat situations.

In a media statement, Electrogenic announced the Defender’s diesel-powered engine will be replaced by a 150kW electric motor – from its custom-made ‘E90’ conversion kit – which is coupled to the existing transfer case, allowing the off-roader to retain its four-wheel-drive capabilities.

Electrogenic claims the electric Land Rover Defender can achieve more than 240km of driving range due to its 93kWh battery pack, while more than 900Nm of torque is delivered to the transfer case.

The Land Rover conversion kit – also available in the ‘E62’ and ‘E70’ sizes – is not exclusive to the armed forces, with Electrogenic selling its turn-key packages for private-owned Defenders, though it does not list prices for the conversion service.

According to Electrogenic’s website, the British firm offers electric conversion kits for a number of cars, including the original Volkswagen Beetle, Jaguar E-Type and Porsche 356C.

The British Army is not the first defence force to trail electric vehicles to join its fleet, following the GMC Hummer being ordered by the US Department of Defence for analysis and demonstration in July 2022.

In Australia, an electric version of the Victorian-made Bushmaster armoured vehicle – known as the electric Protected Military Vehicle (ePMV) – was unveiled last year, though it is yet to be used in combat.