Land Rover is pushing ahead with plans for an emissions-free SUV, writes Michael McAleer, motoring editor
AN EMISSIONS-FREE SUV is the dream, and one that many an owner would love to see. They have been the butt of irate attacks from holier than thou and often self-proclaimed green elements in the motoring world.
Driving a Land Rover with a clear conscience and a cleaner tailpipe is the ambition, and the engineers at the legendary British off-road brand are working hard to achieve that. The ultimate goal in the motor industry remains to take the car out of the environmental debate, but for now the focus is on reducing the current carbon footprint, or at least offsetting it.
The plan is clear: utilise the various emission-reducing techniques in play at present, strive towards cleaner technology and follow the market into diesel hybrid and later full battery-powered plug-in technology.
However, the firm is loathe to provide a timeframe for delivery of these items. Despite a lengthy presentation on how its prototype hybrid diesel technology works, engineers and executives decline to offer even a rough timeline for production.
Since Land Rover's sale to the giant Indian conglomerate, Tata, work has continued on exploring new technologies and the route to lower emissions is clear. Land Rover currently has 16 different low-emissions projects with an investment in new technology of €800 million over five years.
For now, they are offering a sprig of hope. A new, lower emissions version of the Freedlander manual diesel model is due on the Irish market by March, offering 12 per cent more fuel efficiency and an 8 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. Using stop/start technology that cuts out the engine when idling in traffic, but immediately restarts it when you press the clutch, the TD4_e - the small e symbolising a more eco-friendly Freelander - it manages to reduce the car's average emissions from 194g/km to 179g/km. Not only will that save the planet in some small way, but it will reduce your registration tax from 32 per cent to 28 per cent and, more importantly, your annual road tax falls from €1,050 next year - including the price rises from January 1st - to €630.
Admittedly, several different minor changes come together to offer this sort of power reduction, but the most significant change is that the engine is designed to cut out when the car has come to a halt and is out of gear.
Once you lift off the clutch in neutral the engine stops. Press the clutch again to engage a gear and the engine pops back into life, courtesy of a new, advanced starter motor.
This technology is nothing new: several manufacturers offer it on their vehicles. However, Land Rover claims it's the first time it has been employed in an SUV and it means the system has to be a little more driver-orientated. For example, in the sort of extreme conditions you find Land Rovers operating, the air conditioning will always take precedence over engine cut-out.
If the battery needs charging to maintain cabin temperatures, for instance, then the engine will stay on or restart early. Similarly, when the vehicle is operating in tough terrain and the Freelander's advanced off-road system is active, the engine start/stop technology automatically switches off. The driver can also disengage the start/stop system through a button on the dash. So it's very much at the driver's discretion.
To prove the point, we took to the busy streets of inner London on a Monday afternoon and mixed it with traffic for a few hours. In a 60-minute drive, the engine was off for about 18 to 20 of those. That's a useful, good saving in fuel and emissions. And, to prove that the more eco-friendly Freelander has lost none of its off-road ruggedness, we went urban off-roading on a rather challenging off-road course created within the walls of the iconic Battersea power station.
Now owned by Irish developer Treasury Holdings, the site is derelict and is a favourite backdrop for movies such as the recent Batman film. On the day in question, it was the Freelander that was calling the shots.
The savings on offer from stop/start technology may be relatively small, but it at least shows that Land Rover is focusing on lowering emissions. Behind the scenes it seems a dominant theme within the firm and future engines are likely to boast far better emissions reductions along with the likely use of weight-saving technology.
The new Freelander also comes with an end-of-life certification that 85 per cent of the vehicle is recyclable when it's scrapped. Part of the effort is also to make the production of the cars emissions-free. It has already reduced its energy usage at its Solihull production facility by 30 per cent.
It has also signed up with carbon offset firm Climate Care. For every tonne of carbon emitted, Land Rover offsets it with investments into wind power and similar projects. The firm certifies the investment will reduce the same carbon as is emitted at the plant. Climate Care's other clients include Lonelyplanet, lastminute.com, Yahoo and energy firm E.ON. In the past three years it has offset two million tonnes of carbon for Land Rover. While it might seem like passing on the problem, the investment drives forward the development of new energy alternatives through badly-needed investments.
It doesn't end at the factory gates either. In Britain, it currently offsets the first 72,000km for every new vehicle. This scheme is due to be extended across Europe, including Ireland, in the near future.
All of these activities are putting some pride back in the brand that has long proved so adept at tackling the physical challenges placed before it. It's now starting to tackle some of the recently-created environmental and social hurdles. With its new owners, the future already looks brighter than it would have under Ford in the present circumstances.
Indications of new models in the pipeline also suggest there's plenty of life in the legendary off-roader yet.