The new Range Rover Electric can silently wade through almost a metre of water… which means you could probably sneak-up to and bag that Hippopotamus in time for Christmas

There are certain things you expect from a Range Rover: acres of leather and luxury, a commanding driving position, the ability to cross terrain that would make most SUVs reconsider their life choices, and an almost absurd level of refinement.

Now you can add near-silent electric propulsion to the list.

The first-ever Range Rover Electric has officially been revealed, bringing a twin-motor, 118.5kWh battery-electric powertrain to the Original Luxury SUV. Available to order now, it promises to retain the familiar Range Rover formula while quietly replacing the combustion engine with a rather large dose of electrons.

The range-topping version produces 550PS and 850Nm, making it the most torquey Range Rover yet. It can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds, while claimed range is up to 600km WLTP, or up to 535km in real-world driving.

Two 260kW electric drive units provide power to both axles, with Range Rover’s Virtual All-Wheel Drive system capable of managing torque incredibly quickly. The traction system can respond in as little as 50 milliseconds, which JLR says is up to 100 times faster than an equivalent combustion-engine system.

That should make the Electric particularly useful when the going gets slippery. Or, in true Range Rover fashion, when the driver decides that the sensible thing to do with a six-figure luxury SUV is to point it at a muddy hill.

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Still a Range Rover first

Range Rover Electric retains the familiar, reductive design of the fifth-generation Range Rover, with only subtle aerodynamic tweaks distinguishing it from its combustion and plug-in hybrid siblings.

It gets an aero-optimised grille, revised wheels, a tailored underbody and a powered charging door, helping it achieve a drag coefficient of 0.29Cd. The result is arguably one of the least shouty electric SUVs around.

There is no giant grille, no spaceship styling and no desperate attempt to advertise the fact that it runs on batteries.

As Range Rover puts it, the philosophy is “Range Rover first, Electric second.”

The electric model also retains the brand’s considerable off-road credentials. It can wade through 900mm of water, tow up to 2,500kg, and tackle gradients of up to 45 degrees.

Five dedicated off-road modes are available, including Wading, Sand, Rock Crawl, Mud & Ruts and Grass/Gravel/Snow. Single Pedal Driving is also introduced to a Range Rover for the first time, allowing the motors to bring the vehicle to a complete halt simply by lifting off the accelerator.

The battery and power electronics are sealed to the same immersion levels as the petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid models, so owners won’t have to drive the Electric like a Chelsea tractor when the weather turns nasty.

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Big battery, fast charging

Range Rover Electric uses an 800-volt electrical architecture and a purpose-developed 118.5kWh battery comprising 344 nickel manganese cobalt cells.

With a compatible 350kW DC charger, a 10-80 per cent charge takes around 22 minutes, while 10 minutes on the charger can add up to 137 miles (220km) of WLTP range.

It can also make use of existing 400-volt charging infrastructure, while 22kW AC charging takes around seven hours for a full charge.

ThermAssist, JLR’s new thermal management system, is designed to improve efficiency by recovering waste heat from the electric motors and using it to heat the cabin or battery. JLR says the system can reduce heating energy consumption by 40 per cent and contribute up to 25 miles of additional certified range.

The system also helps maintain battery and charging performance in extreme temperatures — apparently including conditions as cold as -40°C. Singapore’s usual concern of whether the air-con will survive another afternoon of 35°C humidity should, therefore, be fairly low on its list.

Quiet luxury, turned up

Electric propulsion naturally lends itself to the Range Rover brief, and JLR has gone to considerable lengths to make the Electric its quietest Range Rover yet.

Active Noise Cancellation, acoustic laminated glass and new motor isolation mounts work together to reduce unwanted noise, while the air suspension, Dynamic Response Pro, All-Wheel Steering and adaptive damping are tuned specifically for the EV.

The battery also lowers the centre of gravity by 88mm compared with other Range Rovers, while rear-wheel steering gives the Electric a turning circle of less than 11 metres.

Inside, it remains very much the luxury sanctuary you’d expect. There are four- and five-seat configurations, Standard and Long Wheelbase versions, Executive Class rear seating, heated and cooled seats, massage functions and even a new in-cabin fragrance diffuser.

Because apparently silence alone isn’t sufficiently luxurious. Now your Range Rover can smell expensive too.

The flagship SV versions take things even further with options such as Electrostatic Sound, Body and Soul Seats and Sensory Floor technology. The Electrostatic Sound system uses 21 lightweight thin-film transducers, while Body and Soul Seats use haptic technology to allow occupants to physically feel music.

Tested to the extreme

JLR says Range Rover Electric has undergone more than 1.5 million km of testing and over 250,000 hours of virtual and physical development.

Testing has taken place from the -40°C conditions of Arjeplog, Sweden, to 50°C heat in the Dubai desert, alongside extensive off-road testing at JLR’s Eastnor Castle facility in the UK.

More than three-hundred patent applications have been filed for the vehicle, with its battery and electric motors developed and manufactured in-house in the UK.

The battery packs and electric motors are produced at JLR’s Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton, before the vehicles are assembled alongside combustion and plug-in hybrid Range Rovers at Solihull.

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For Range Rover, then, going electric isn’t about reinventing the brand.

It is about taking what it already does — refinement, comfort, capability and a slightly ridiculous ability to cross terrain no sane person would take a luxury SUV through — and making it quieter, faster and more technically sophisticated.

The Range Rover Electric is available to order now, in Standard and Long Wheelbase forms and across SE, HSE, Autobiography and SV specifications.

Whether you really want that hippopotamus for Christmas remains to be seen. But if you do, you know you can creep up on it in near silence.

Photos: Range Rover