The 110 Defenders use a 70kW (94bhp), 330Nm electric motor twinned with a 300-volt, lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 27kWh, giving a range of more than 50 miles. Land Rover claims up to eight hours of use in typical, low-speed off-road conditions, with a full charge taking four hours by a 7kW fast charger, or a portable 3kW charger in 10 hours.

The vehicles retain the Defender’s four-wheel drive system and differential lock. Because the electric motor delivers maximum torque from the moment it starts, there’s no need for gear shifting and the transmission comprises a single speed, 2.7:1 reduction gearbox combined with the existing Defender four-wheel drive system. A modified version of Land Rover’s Terrain ResponseSystem has also been incorporated.

The vehicles were developed by Land Rover’s Advanced Engineering Team following successful trials of the Defender-based electric vehicle, Leopard 1.

The carmaker added that the vehicles’ capability has been tested in extreme and environmentally sensitive conditions, including pulling a 12-tonne “road train” up a 13% gradient and wading to a depth of 800mm.

Land Rover said there are no plans for the all-terrain electric Defender to go into mass production but the seven EVs will go into service in specialist real world trials later this year.

‘This project is acting as a rolling laboratory for Land Rover to assess electric vehicles, even in the most arduous all-terrain conditions. It gives us a chance to evolve and test some of the technologies that may one day be introduced into future Land Rover models,’ said Antony Harper, Jaguar Land Rover head of research.