Land Rover’s e-Terrain vehicle isn’t meant to be taken literally. It’s a showcase for the company’s upcoming technology, particularly fuel efficiency a welcome sign, considering a supercharged Range Rover gets 13 mpg in city driving. Land Rover says that in combined use the e-Terrain’s technology can increase gas mileage by 33 percent while reducing tailpipe emissions and maintaining offroad ruggedness. Highlights include a driveshaft that disconnects from the rear wheels during low-load periods to reduce lost efficiency; the rear end of the driveshaft maintains equivalent rotation to allow for seamless reconnection. In low-load city driving, an electric rear axle can power the vehicle without using gas.
A semiautomatic transmission functions like those in F1 racing cars, eliminating both a conventional automatic transmission’s torque converter and its inefficiencies. Other technologies include a terrain response system and an engine compatible with ethanol-based E85 fuel.
Land Rover says these technologies will be available on production models in the next several years.
From cars.com news.
