What’s the point of going on safari if your truck’s rumble and exhaust sully the experience? That’s what Axeon and Land Rover have reasoned, teaming up with the solution you see here.
Developed in collaboration with JLR South Africa, this Defender 110 – a long-wheelbase model with an extended pickup bed (fitted with extra seating) instead of an extra set of doors – has had its diesel engine replaced with a lithium-ion battery pack mated to an unspecified motor capable of propelling the Defender over approximately three times the usual “game drive” (read: hunting expedition) on a single charge. All this without emitting a single local gram of carbon and maintaining silent operation that will bring its occupants closer to the game without spooking them off.
The vehicle will be unveiled this month at the INDABA tourism expo in Durban.
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