Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed that an electric version of the Land Rover Defender will not be introduced for the current-generation model. Despite the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs), electrifying the current Defender platform presents significant challenges that the British automaker is not willing to compromise on.
The Defender, currently in its L66-generation since 2019, is available with various petrol and diesel engine options, including a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid. The growing popularity of luxury EVs, such as the electric Mercedes-Benz G580, might make an electric Defender a tempting prospect, but according to JLRâs Chief Commercial Officer, Lennard Hoornik, adapting the existing Defender (built on the D7x platform) for an electric powertrain is not feasible without substantial compromises.
“Electrifying the current âL663â car, on its D7x platform, is not what we want,” Hoornik said in an interview with Autocar. He further explained that while the Defender is “brilliant at what it does,” the existing platform does not provide the necessary space for the batteries needed for an electric version, without compromising the vehicle’s off-road capabilities. “The problem isnât just about stuffing in batteries where theyâll fit; itâs also about maintaining the Defenderâs off-road capability, which requires careful packaging of its axles and other components,” Hoornik added.
JLR remains committed to offering electric versions of all its sub-brands, including Range Rover, Discovery, and Jaguar, but Hoornik emphasized that the existing Defender architecture simply cannot support the required EV components. “We will need to use something different,” he said, pointing to the likelihood of a new-generation Defender or a distinct Defender EV built on a separate platform.