Both the Evoque and Discovery P300e produce more CO2 than projected.
Their EV range is also shorter than predicted.
Electrifying vehicle fleets is necessary on numerous levels. For the environment, to lower ownership costs and, ultimately, for manufacturers to avoid paying hefty fines if they reach emission targets. Land Rover was well on its way until it was discovered that both the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery P300e plug-in hybrid SUVs produced more grams of CO2 than initially announced.
The numbers were as low as 32 g/km for the Evoque and 36 g/km for the Discovery when these new models were announced back in April. Now, LR has stated that, in fact, the lowest measured emissions for these vehicles are of 44 g/km. This is on top of the projected 66 km EV range which has now dropped to 43 km, or 27 miles. JLR’s media website has adjusted the ratings however EV range is set at 55 km (34 miles).
Land Rover Discovery PHEV | Photo: Land Rover
According to automotive Europe (subscription required), Land Rover has halted sales of both popular models. Land Rover said: “Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not yet in a position to deliver the previously communicated best-case WLTP combined figures.”
Land Rover has said that some dealers will receive their models later this week however one dealer reported that their demo will not arrive before November.
Ultimately, this means that some UK customers (JLR’s largest market) will pay more taxes for their new acquisitions.
Range Rover Evoque PHEV | Photo: Range Rover
