Sparking new interest, in Land Rover's 'Classic'.

Although the most significant news of 2020 for Land Rover fans is the new Defender, there are some automotive specialists who are keen on modernizing the old one.

ECD is an American aftermarket engineering firm who build custom Defenders for discerning clientele. Most of the ECD Defenders are powered by LS3 specification 6.2-litre V8s, sourced from General Motors, but now there is a battery-powered option too.

Despite the previous-generation Defender having some ancient design features, ECD has proven that the classic ladder-frame platform can be successfully electrified.

What makes the ECD Defender so interesting, is that it borrows a battery pack from the best in the business: Tesla. ECD is being coy about how they have managed to get hold of production Tesla-Panasonic battery packs, but 100 kWh lithium-ion power source is claimed to drive this electrified Defender from 0-100 kph in just over 5 seconds.

A crucial part of Tesla’s performance advantage, and range, compared to most rivals, is the electric motor technology it uses. Tesla motors feature Halbach array magnetic tensioning, which produces a lot more power, at lower weight, than conventional electric motors. It is unclear which electric motors ECD is fitting to its zero-emission Defenders.

You might imagine that the ladder-frame chassis would be a nightmare to electrify, but it creates a lot of room and favourable mounting structure for battery packs. ECD simplyremoves the body structure and then places the battery packs where required.

Detailing and differentiating the ECD electric Defender is a boldly illuminated front, with most of the grille section now comprising a ‘Defender’ LED badge.

Range? ECD say that its battery-powered Defender should be capable of 350 km on a single charge. The first production versions are being currently assembled, with price and launch date unknown.

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