Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has wrapped the second phase of extreme winter testing for its forthcoming all-electric Range Rover, clocking over 45,000 miles across the ice-covered test grounds of Arjeplog, Sweden.
The trials are part of JLR’s bid to establish the EV as the “world’s most capable luxury SUV” ahead of its official reveal later this year.
The development programme places significant emphasis on cold-weather resilience, with particular focus on validating JLR’s new thermal management technology – a proprietary system that maintains optimal battery, powertrain, and cabin temperatures in sub-zero environments.
The ThermAssist system, designed in-house, is capable of reducing heating energy consumption by up to 40%, improving range retention and safeguarding charging performance in harsh climates. It actively recycles heat to warm the propulsion system and maintain cabin comfort, even when external temperatures plunge to -10°C.
“Rigorous cold-weather testing is essential to ensure real-world robustness,” said Thomas Müller, executive director of product engineering at JLR. “Our second Arctic season exceeded expectations. ThermAssist optimises range and ensures charging performance is unaffected, even in extreme cold.”
New Electric Architecture
At the core of the Range Rover Electric is a 117kWh high-voltage battery – the first to be fully engineered and assembled by JLR. The double-stacked cell-to-pack structure incorporates 344 prismatic cells and runs on an 800V platform, enabling high-efficiency charging and enhanced energy density.
Although JLR has yet to release specific performance metrics, the platform is being developed to maintain traditional Range Rover ride characteristics and have benchmarked the new model against all four previous Range Rover generations – from the 1970 classic to the current iteration.
JLR engineers have therefore recalibrated the switchable twin-chamber air suspension system to account for the EV’s increased mass and unique weight distribution while torsional stiffness has been enhanced.
“Marrying electric performance with Range Rover’s refinement is a high bar,” said Matt Becker, JLR’s director of vehicle engineering. “By stiffening the body and refining dynamic response, we’ve preserved the brand’s hallmark ride characteristics in an all-electric format.”
Next-Gen Traction & Single Pedal Control
The electric Range Rover also pioneers single-pedal driving while regenerative braking can bring the vehicle to a full stop and automatically engage Hill Hold, all without brake pedal intervention.
The system’s capabilities were validated on low-friction Arctic terrain, including steep 28-degree and 17-degree split mu incline scenarios designed to stress its ability to recover traction and maintain composure.
Central to its all-terrain performance is JLR’s Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD), a high-speed torque distribution system capable of shifting 100% of rear axle torque within milliseconds.
Integrated within the Traction Management System, it enables real-time motor speed modulation and slip control up to 100 times faster than traditional internal combustion platforms.
The Arctic development programme follows high-temperature validation work conducted in the United Arab Emirates, where the prototypes were tested in 50°C heat and 90% humidity.