Range Rover Velar P400e Boasts Enhanced Range

Range Rover Velar P400e Boasts Enhanced Range

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‍South Africa grapples with a persistent electricity crisis characterised by continuous power cuts and steep tariffs. Coupled with astronomical duties and taxes on EVs, and it's hard for consumers to take the plunge into electric car ownership.  

Plug-in hybrid cars offer a viable alternative since they can operate on electric power alone for short distances, saving on fuel, before switching to the engine. Thus, they alleviate range anxiety by offering customers the best of both worlds. An example is the Range Rover Velar P400e. 

As with its pre-updated namesake, the Range Rover Velar P400e pairs a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine with a 105kW electric motor for a combined power output of 297kW and 640Nm of torque. Its 0-100km/h sprint is dispatched in 5.4 seconds en route to a top speed of 209km/h or 140km/h when running on electric power alone. 

The biggest news here is the improved range that comes courtesy of a larger 19.2kWh battery pack (12% larger than before) that gives the Velar P400e a range of up to 64km (up from 53km) before the combustion engine takes over propulsion duties. With the plug-in hybrid system working in tandem, Range Rover claims the P400e can travel up to 684km before running out of juice. 

Though the P400e houses a larger battery pack, the vehicle’s dimensions and interior remain unchanged. 

Getting the battery pack recharged can be done in three ways. Firstly, rapid DC charging can recharge the battery from 0-80% in under 30 minutes using a 50kW charger. The second is the 7kW AC home charger, which takes 2.5 hours to recharge the battery from 0–100%, while it can also share a 3-pin charger with your television set when needed.  

The P400e is sold alongside petrol and diesel variants in the form of the P340, D200 and D300, all with the brand’s 8-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system as standard. 

At a price of R2,195,400, the P400e provides customers with a best-of-both-worlds solution by delivering efficiency without range anxiety and without sacrificing its good looks. 

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