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Throughout its 67-year life, the original Land Rover Defender was offered only with petrol or diesel engines. That’s not unusual since it was developed from a product of the late 1940s, long before the era of zero emissions and greater consciousness to preserve the environment. Its powertrains were robust, as required by customers, and had been improved to deliver better performance and meet progressively stricter emission control regulations.

However, when it came to developing the successor, the world had become a very different place. From the 1970s onwards, air pollution – blamed largely on exhaust emissions from motor vehicles – persuaded governments to introduce regulations forcing carmakers to reduce emissions. These regulations, especially in the more developed countries, kept getting tougher and tougher. And with rising fuel prices, there was also a need to reduce fuel consumption even if there was indifference to concerns about fossil fuel supplies diminishing and running out at some point in the future.

2019 Land Rover Defender

Electrification the way to go
For Land Rover, as for other carmakers, it was clear that there were limitations to engineering the internal combustion engine to meet toughest regulations. The better solution was to use electrification, an approach that had become increasingly viable since Toyota and Honda introduced hybrid powertrains in the late 1990s. Pure electric powertrains remain expensive due to the high technology costs but hybrids are now into the mainstream and almost every carmaker has adopted the technology.

So for the new Defender, it was clear that while less developed markets would still require conventional engines, the future dictated that there must be a hybrid powertrain under the bonnet. This led to the development of Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology that is available from launch while a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) powertrain will join the range next year. This will offer silent zero-emissions driving in EV-mode, giving Land Rover owners an entirely new experience off-road.

MHEV

MHEV with 48V system
A key feature of the Defender’s MHEV is its 48-volt battery pack consisting of 14 x 8Ah lithium-ion pouch cells that can store up to 200Wh of electricity. The MHEV system is not new to Land Rover, having first been used in the Evoque and has been further refined. Separate from the normal vehicle battery, it generates up to 142.5 Nm of torque which enhances acceleration.

A DC/DC converter installed at the back provides energy to the battery pack as well as the vehicle’s conventional battery. There’s also a Belt-Integrated Starter Generator which ‘harvests’ electrical energy while driving. Whenever the driver lifts off on the throttle pedal, electricity is regenerated to the battery pack where it can be utilized.

2019 Land Rover Defender
The new Defender’s platform has been engineered for conventional petrol and diesel powertrains as well as hybrid powertrains.

The in-line 6-cylinder 3-litre Ingenium petrol engine features both a conventional twin-scroll turbocharger and an advanced 7 kW electric supercharger. In combination with the other advanced technologies, total output is 400 ps/550 Nm with a claimed 0 – 100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds. Fuel consumption is claimed to be 10.4 kms/litre.

Software updating – without going to the service centre
The extensive array of electronic systems in the new Defender mean that ‘future-proofing’ is necessary and software updates can be sent over the air periodically. Up to 14 onboard electronic control modules, more than any previous Jaguar Land Rover vehicle, can receive updates, without the need to visit a Land Rover service centre. In this way, the Defender will get better with age. Customers in remote locations can still get the updates – all that’s required is a data connection via a satellite-phone.

2019 Land Rover Defender

2019 Land Rover Defender

Although electronic systems installed in motor vehicles these days are ‘hardened’ and able to withstand the harsh conditions during daily use, they have to endure even more severe and extreme conditions in a vehicle like the Defender. Given that many owners will go off-road and over the roughest terrain on the planet, Land Rover engineers had to conduct rigorous testing all over the world and in the most extreme conditions. Serious attention was given to electrical connections and the effects of impacts on components like the battery pack. Even in the 21st century, the original 4×4 reborn has to maintain as well set new standards for toughness and capability.

Click here to read more about the New Land Rover Defender

PISTON.MY

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The 2019 Tokyo Motor Show is just around the corner and already motoring journalists around the world are feeling the heat of what’s to come. The folks from Mazda also has something up their sleeves as they will be revealing their very first mass-production battery electric vehicle (EV). (more…)

Karma Automotive, the company created from the previous Fisker Automotive purchased by a Chinese autoparts supplier Wanxiang Group, will reveal its design and technological direction with the North American debut of its SC1 Vision Concept car.

“The SC1 is a signpost to Karma’s future,” said Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou. “Designed and engineered in less than 12 months, SC1 is a full battery electric vehicle (BEV) that explores the brand’s striking design language and the innovative technology integration possible through our collaborative Open Platform strategy.”

Karma Automotive SC1 concept

Humanized communication system
The SC1 Vision Concept seamlessly integrates a new infotainment architecture with 5G connectivity and a humanized communication system with touch, voice, eye and graphical interfaces. Artificial Intelligence understands conventional language and commands, while a camera-based eye tracking system is capable of biometric identification, allowing for the multi-modal authentication of occupants. The eye-tracking system monitors a driver’s irises, eyelids and gaze – should the driver become distracted or fatigued, AI safely takes control of the vehicle.

With the use of 8 radar systems, 6 Lidar sensors, and half a dozen external cameras, the SC1 Vision Concept is fully equipped for autonomous motoring in the future. It will store information on cityscape and points of interest which are displayed in augmented reality.

Karma Automotive SC1 concept

Karma Automotive SC1 concept

Both driver and passenger can immerse themselves in comfort with an all-new surround audio system with dedicated sound environments for each of them. Karma says it will soon offer audio capabilities similar to the SC1 Vision Concept’s system through the company’s guided customization program.

New definition of luxury and style
“The SC1 Vision Concept draws its inspiration from Karma’s pioneering spirit,” said Andreas Thurner, Karma’s VP of Global Design and Architecture. “It is thought-provoking — it conjures a new definition of luxury and style with distinct Karma DNA.”

The SC1 Vision Concept features a one-off fluorescent orange paint scheme with flakes of violet mica capturing stunning sunset colours, juxtaposed by a darker palleted interior fading from black to deep indigo. A bold body design is reminiscent of an H-1 racing aircraft of the 1930s, with impressive length stretching from the car’s front axle to windscreen.

Karma Automotive SC1 concept

Karma Automotive SC1 concept

Striking patented articulating hinge doors open in a winged motion, gently rising up and forward, rotating around front wheels. The SC1 Vision Concept’s interior prioritizes simplicity and ease of use, eliminating excess to reveal a stratified design with a multi-dimensional in-cabin experience. The car’s battery is housed in a centre tunnel cascading down from dashboard into seats, before gliding upward to the decklid.

PISTON.MY

Providing ‘Mobility for All‘ is something Toyota Motor Corporation takes seriously. It is demonstrating this in its role as worldwide partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, specifically the one which will take place in Tokyo in 2020.

Besides various forms of transport that it has developed for different groups at the event, it is developing a special new product known as the Accessible People Mover (APM). This is a mobility vehicle designed expressly for use at the Games.

‘Last mile solution’
The APM will offer a ‘last one mile’ solution that helps transport as many people as possible to events and venues. These include athletes and staff related to the Games as well as all types of visitors with accessibility needs such as the elderly, people with impairments, pregnant women, and families with small children, among others. Part of the fleet of APMs, to number around 200 in total, will be used to support relief activities at events/venues during summer.

There will be two versions – a Basic Model and one with Relief specifications. The Basic Model will be for general transportation and feature 3-row seating. Up to 5 passengers can be carried and when used for passengers in wheelchairs, the configuration can be modified by folding the seats to allow the wheelchair rider in the second row.

Safety, comfort and convenience
With safety in mind, the position of the driver’s seat has been elevated and centrally located in order to allow the driver to see passengers and support their individual needs as they enter/exit the vehicle which is about 2 metres high.

The passenger seats are accessible from both sides of the vehicle, and the overall design considers varying customers’ needs, with safety bars on both sides to help passengers while entering and exiting the vehicle, and fitted with wheelchair anchor plates and ramps to enable the optimal access and transportation of wheelchair passengers.

The Relief specification is similar but has more open space to install a stretcher. In addition, to help convey people in a stable, safe way, a stretcher that can be attached/secured in the vehicle will also be equipped. There will also be space to allow 2 relief staff workers to sit immediately adjacent to the stretcher.

Needless to say, the APM – which has dimensions that are similar to a Toyota Avanza – will operate with zero emissions using a battery electric powertrain that should also be quiet. It can travel at a speed up to 19 km/h and a full charge should provide 100 kms of range.

Sunshine does good and bad things for mankind. It provides light to see better for about half the day and it helps to dry clothes. However, it can cause skin cancer and in certain conditions, even start fires. Sunshine also contains energy which can be converted into electricity and at least one study suggests that solar power can be the world’s largest source of electricity by 2050.

Unfortunately, capturing sunshine to convert it in amounts large enough for practical usage has required technologies that have taken a while to develop. In fact, research began as far back as the 1930s but it is only in the past decade that R&D has accelerated and advanced technologies have been developed which are also commercially viable.

Technological advances needed
While sunshine alone can’t power a car (the technology would need to be very, very advanced), it can be used for the battery packs in electrified vehicles. Currently, the battery packs are recharged by drawing electricity from public or household electrical supply stations or by regeneration in the car’s powertrain. Solar power can supplement this and has the potential of improving cruising range and fuel efficiency of hybrid vehicles.

In fact, Toyota has already been using the approach since 2010 in the Prius to provide power for the climate control system. In 2017, it went further by enlarging the solar panel on the roof to provide electricity for the battery pack. Later this month, NEDO (a national R&D organization in Japan), Sharp Corporation, and Toyota Motor Corporation will carry out public road trials to assess the effectiveness this approach with Sharp’s modularized high-efficiency solar battery cells.

Thin-film solar battery cells
These solar battery cells are in a thin film about 0.03 mm in thickness. This makes it possible to efficiently install the film to fit the curves of parts with limited space. The battery cells will be installed on the roof, bonnet, rear hatch door and other areas of a Toyota Prius.

The idea is, of course, to maximise the area of coverage to capture as much sunshine as possible. By enhancing the solar battery panel’s efficiency and expanding its onboard area, Toyota was able to achieve a rated power generation output of around 860 W, which is approximately 4.8-times higher in comparison with the Prius Prime’s solar charging system.

In addition to substantially boosting its power generation output, the testcar will employ a system that charges the driving battery while the vehicle is parked and also while it’s being driven, a development that is expected to lead to considerable improvements in electric-powered cruising range and fuel efficiency.

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