ELECTRIC AVENUE

Patrick tries to go electric but fails miserably

y 2020 all the various models produced by Jaguar Land Rover will have an electric option. The new Defender should be out by then. That means you and I will be able to purchase an electric Defender. I can’t imagine driving a Defender without petrol or diesel fumes but when I did drive a prototype electric Defender in Wales about two years ago, it did impress me. Torque on tap. Just push the accelerator.

Talking of the mobility revolution, we sent Gary Pusey to JLR’S recent Tech Fest – read all about it on page 80. While I love the lack of modern day comforts and technology in my 1998 Defender, JLR have had to fully embrace the way the world is moving in order to stay ahead of the game. It makes for a fascinating read.

While my Defender was recently

Bhaving its radiator rebuilt I decided to borrow a car from the chaps at Evo so that I could go and buy some lunch. I just grabbed a set of keys and pushed the button to see which lights flashed in the car park. It was the plug-in hybrid Golf GTE, the start is keyless and after pushing the start button the dash lit up with a warning that it was still connected to a power source.

Instead of unplugging it I just ran back into the office and grabbed the keys to a John Cooper Works Mini.

The following day one of the chaps from Evo informed me that I had not switched it off before disembarking and so it was left running overnight. That is what happens when you put a rookie behind the wheel of the sometimes silent running Golf GTE. Lucky for me I now have my noisy petrol Defender back and its unique sounding engine will always tell me if it is running or not...

“I can’t imagine driving a Defender without petrol or diesel fumes”