I quite fancy one of these....

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I was looking at electric 4x4's the other day and I have to admit that I like the look of the Bollinger B2 it's based on the B1 but bigger, a bit more like my old defender 110's

 
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Did you see the Rivian pickup? It looks amazingly practical and makes the bolinger look like lazy design in comparison. Pricey though.

 
So I love the performance and specs etc of the Rivian, but I'd not like to climb on it with my boots, whereas the Bollinger looks better for climbing on, sitting the kids on the roof etc. But, it's also cheaper which is great... Not that I can afford any of them!!
 
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Did you see the Rivian pickup? It looks amazingly practical and makes the bolinger look like lazy design in comparison. Pricey though.


Yeh, but it looks awful (sorry, biased opinion probably :) )

What I really want is a 4x4 hybrid that combines the distance capability of having a diesel/petrol engine with the infinite and precise torque control of electric drive. BUT it must have a motor per wheel so there is no transmission to mess up the ground clearance.

A 4x4 is of no use to me unless I can drive 400 miles plus, in arduous conditions, without having to recharge/re-fuel.
 
Yeh, but it looks awful (sorry, biased opinion probably :) )

What I really want is a 4x4 hybrid that combines the distance capability of having a diesel/petrol engine with the infinite and precise torque control of electric drive. BUT it must have a motor per wheel so there is no transmission to mess up the ground clearance.

A 4x4 is of no use to me unless I can drive 400 miles plus, in arduous conditions, without having to recharge/re-fuel.

That’s the downside - fossil fuel powered you can (almost) endlessly top up the tank from Jerry cans etc to extend your range.

Batteries - charge them remotely how - either solar (would need a LOT) or a fuel generator (which defeats the object)

Also, I off road fairly frequently in my defender and the abuse the drive train takes in the form of silty muddy water, and constant hammering of ruts, bumps etc makes me wonder if a relatively ‘delicate’ electric motor would stand up to that kind of abuse.

One option would be a big motor in the place of the gearbox driving a conventional drivetrain underneath but then you would lose the benefit of fine wheel control that you would get from motors on each corner.

It works on road going vehicles but not sure the tech is ‘quite’ there for a serious off road capable vehicle.
 
That’s the downside - fossil fuel powered you can (almost) endlessly top up the tank from Jerry cans etc to extend your range.

Batteries - charge them remotely how - either solar (would need a LOT) or a fuel generator (which defeats the object)

Also, I off road fairly frequently in my defender and the abuse the drive train takes in the form of silty muddy water, and constant hammering of ruts, bumps etc makes me wonder if a relatively ‘delicate’ electric motor would stand up to that kind of abuse.

One option would be a big motor in the place of the gearbox driving a conventional drivetrain underneath but then you would lose the benefit of fine wheel control that you would get from motors on each corner.

It works on road going vehicles but not sure the tech is ‘quite’ there for a serious off road capable vehicle.

There must be some hard use electric motors around though?

Doing away with axles and stuff does sound fantastic doesn't it
 
I was looking at electric 4x4's the other day and I have to admit that I like the look of the Bollinger B2 it's based on the B1 but bigger, a bit more like my old defender 110's


I love how they keep describing it's 'unique' features and make it sound even more like a land rover lol
 
Yeah definitely must be, but whether they would be light enough/powerful enough/small enough to be used at the wheel is another thing

Good point. If the technology is there though it's a relatively small step to re-engineer it into a different application.
Deffo could be done it's just a case of the demand being there
 
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Nearly every vehicle manufacturer on the planet is working on electric drive technology. There was a demo Land Rover 110 with individual drive motors to each wheel in 2008.

To be honest the whole concept of electric drive for off-road vehicles has been discussed in military vehicle establishments since the early eighty's and a lot of early work is now coming to fruition but mainly because of the vast amount of money being spent in the civilian sector.

It's a vehicle designer's dream to have such control over the torque delivery to individual wheels; it almost makes me wish I was still involved … mmm... may be not; I'm enjoying the freedom I have to play :)
 
Landrover built an electric rangerover in the 70's

Birmingham (I think) had electric dustbin lorries at around the same time.
It's about time they came of age really

Oh there's also an electric off road motorbike in production too I forget the name but the makers seem confidant the motors are up to the job, as they would be obviously
 
"Spartan", with limited range and speed, but the off-road terrain it crossed was out of this world!

1200px-Apollo15LunarRover.jpg
 
Hmmm, looks remarkably familiar. a wrangler/ defender love child?
I actually do like the look of it, shame about the range though. 600 miles minimum for me. Saying that, the rate this technology is evolving, i don't think it will be long before that's realistic.
 
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Must admit I'm not sold on electric vehicles from the environmental point of view. The precious metals used in the batteries and the need for polluting power stations to generate electricity. I've been to Switzerland and seen waste plants turning organic waste (food, grass, leaves) into biogas that can then go into vehicles. Cheap fuel for the local citizens. I wish we were going down this route.
 
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