Looks like Keir Starmer won’t be cashing in on the new Electric Car Grant any time soon. JLR has told the PM that an electric version of his state Range Rover just isn’t up to the job when it comes to protection against bomb attacks.
According to documents seen by EV newsletter FastCharge, JLR has asked for armoured vehicles to be exempt from the strict ZEV mandate, which forces carmakers to sell a certain percentage of EVs in the UK. Their reasoning? They say it’s basically impossible to make an electric armoured car safe enough, as the blast protection needed just can’t be achieved with current tech.
Here’s why: even a standard Range Rover Electric (due next year) is expected to tip the scales at over three tonnes. Throw in bomb blankets, heavy armour plating and bulletproof glass, and you’re adding a lot more weight. That kills both range and performance.
So for now, the PM will keep rolling in his 5.0-litre V8 Range Rover Sentinels, built by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations team in Solihull. Each one costs around half a million quid.
That said, other brands are managing it. BMW, for example, has already launched an armoured i7 Protection EV that offers both the safety and performance needed.
The news comes as JLR is also dealing with a cyber attack that’s disrupted production at its UK plants. Thankfully, the company insists no customer data has been compromised.
