Land Rover concept for green green-laning

Land Rover's intriguing Land_e concept in Geneva is more a technology demonstrator than a vehicle per se and we love the oblique reference to the 'Landy' pet name used by Land Rover owners.

It's going to be difficult to list all the items Land Rover has specified for the Land_e and its e-Terrain System in the space available, but it's encouraging to see that the company is thinking as much about its cars' effect on the environment as it is about retaining Land Rover's off-road capability.

First up is Integrated Electric Rear Axle Drive, which uses a motor to either power the rear wheels slowly or add additional torque to that provided by the regular engine. Propshaft with Seamless Re-connect is a system that monitors the need to have the propshaft to the rear wheels spinning. Terrain Response is available on the latest Land Rover production models, but the Land_e goes one further with an e-Mode, in which the various vehicle systems are optimised for maximum fuel economy. Then there's the Integrated Starter-Generator to allow instantaneous transition from electric motor running to engine power and back again. Others include the Intelligent Thermal Programme and Intelligent Management of Electrical Systems, the latter managing the battery charging for only when necessary.

Promising technology aside, if you squint when looking at the pictures of the Land_e, we think you'll get a good idea of what the Freelander replacement will look like. Land Rover promises to integrate many of the concept's features in its production cars in the near future.