Next-gen Range Rover Evoque EV (2026) to feature the EMA platform

  • Third-gen Range Rover Evoque to be an electric-only model
  • Range Rover Evoque Electric to challenge the BMW iX2 & Volvo C40
  • To be based on a new 'EMA' platform with 800V powertrain & flat floor
  • Will be launched in 2026

Update (March 21, 2024): Introduction and ‘Platform & Specifications,’ ‘Battery production,’ ‘Price & release date,’ and ‘Production’ sections updated.

The Mk2 Range Rover Evoque was introduced in late 2018, and as per a report from Autocar filed on April 19, 2023, the third-gen Evoque will be a pure-electric SUV. Here’s everything we know about the Range Rover Evoque Electric so far:

Platform & Specifications

The next-gen Range Rover Evoque, like the new-generation Porsche Macan, will be a pure electric SUV by default. It will be based on a new platform called Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA). JLR announced EMA as a “native BEV” or a pure-electric biased platform that supports advanced electrified internal combustion engines in 2021. On April 19, 2023, JLR announced a change in the plan, saying EMA “will now be pure-electric.”

In JLR’s words, the EMA platform, “born from an obsession with simplicity,” will allow using batteries of various shapes and chemistries. This may give the company a lot of flexibility and offer multiple configurations as per the range and performance requirements of customers in different markets.

Flat floor & 800V capability

EMA vehicles will feature a flat floor that maximizes cabin space and come with in-house developed electric drive units (EDUs) that deliver 92% efficiency. The EDUs will be 800V capable and also the most torque-dense in the class. JLR estimates their energy efficiency to be 4-4.5 miles/kWh, which would improve greatly on the I-Pace’s energy efficiency ratings. For reference, the I-Pace has an energy efficiency rating of 35.4-40.5 kWh/100 miles (2.4-2.8 miles/kWh) in both EV320 and EV400 variants, as per Europe’s WLTP. Expect the electric Evoque to offer plenty of space, ultra-fast charging, and competitive range figures.

Full electrification benefits

There are many ways in which the Range Rover Evoque Electric will be superior to a comparable gas-powered SUV. A noise-free electric powertrain would make driving more enjoyable for customers. Furthermore, the flat floor would provide more passenger and storage space, which would improve comfort and functionality.

In addition to the default benefits of the Evoque’s compact dimensions, the torquey nature of an electric powertrain would make the zero-emission SUV an even better urban runabout. Moreover, if you enjoy off-road driving, it should provide additional capability.

Battery production

The batteries of the Range Rover Evoque EV will almost certainly come from Tata Group-owned Agratas’ upcoming 40 GWh battery manufacturing facility in the UK. Situated in the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset, the nation’s biggest battery factory will start production in 2026.

Unique design proportions

On January 31, 2022, former Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore briefly talked about the EMA platform during the parent company’s Q3 FY22 earnings conference call. He said that JLR is developing the platform because, like the MLA, it will allow designing cars with unique proportions and capabilities.

The MLA platform – it’s a unique platform. It’s a platform which is bringing (not only) all this proportion that you can see on our cars, but also all the extraordinary capabilities which make them completely unique. And that’s a differentiation that we continuously want to enhance. So the consequence is that we are creating at the moment (as) we speak the new EMA platform, because it’s going to bring a unique proportion and capabilities to the cars that we’re going to manufacture.

Thierry Bollore, former CEO, Jaguar Land Rover (Tata Motors Q3 FY22 earnings conference call on January 31, 2022)

Price & Release date

On February 2, 2024, while discussing JLR’s Q3 Fiscal 2023/24 results, CFO Richard Molyneux announced that the company will only launch four EVs by 2026, not six EVs as it had announced in 2021. While he didn’t make a specific mention of an all-electric Evoque, we expect it to be launched globally in 2026.

We think the next-gen Range Rover Evoque would be more expensive than the second-gen model that’s currently in showrooms. The base price of the bespoke electric SUV will likely be around USD 60,000. For reference, the prices of the gas-powered second-gen model start at USD 51,000.

Production

According to Autocar, production of the next-gen Range Rover Evoque will take place at Land Rover’s Halewood manufacturing plant in Liverpool, UK, the same facility responsible for the first- and second-gen Evoques. This factory will be JLR’s first all-electric manufacturing facility.

JLR has laid the groundwork to make the factory compatible with EMA-based EVs by beginning the tendering process. There will be an extended shutdown to complete the conversion in 2024.

2026 Range Rover Evoque part of ‘Reimagine’ strategy

JLR plans to come out with four Land Rover BEVs by 2026 and offer all its models with a zero-emission propulsion system by 2030. With the Range Rover Evoque, one of its top three best-selling Land Rovers, offering it in a pure electric powertrain in the next generation was always on the cards.

Land Rover must build an all-electric vehicle line-up in the next few years. This is due to a combination of factors, such as tightening emission regulations, including the looming ban on combustion vehicles in some of its big markets (New York, which is one of the biggest markets for the Range Rover models, is banning new gas-powered vehicle sales by 2035), pressure from Chinese competitors, and the fact that Tesla and the German trio are already well ahead of Land Rover with EVs.

Evoque’s popularity slides in 2023

In 2022, a year that was marred by supply chain challenges, sales of the Range Rover Evoque dipped. With 54,177 units delivered (retail), global sales were down 14.5% from 2021 (63,398 units). Wholesale figures similarly declined by 13.3% year-over-year to 39,988 units (2021: 46,123 units). The decline continued in 2023, with the Evoque registering 47,222 units in retail sales and 32,385 units in wholesale deliveries.

Jaguar Land Rover hasn’t released country-specific sales data, meaning we can’t provide a picture of how the Evoque is performing in the U.S., although it’s safe to assume that shipments were down here, too. We think that an all-electric Evoque will add a renewed spark of life to fading sales, particularly in markets where EV sales are growing.

TopElectricSUV says

Range Rover Evoque side charging
The Evoque’s streamlined body was ahead of its time but is now a common design element among EVs for aero benefit. Image: Jaguar Land Rover

Electric or combustion-engined, the Range Rover Evoque is about clean, reductive, and charming design. The first-gen Evoque was distinguished by its coupe-like sloping roofline and rising beltline, which is no more a novelty, The global car market is awash with SUV coupes, and a streamlined body is a prerequisite in EV design. We are keen to see whether the Land Rover designers will go beyond merely enhancing the original formula with refinement and sophistication in the third-gen Evoque.

Featured Image Source: Jaguar Land Rover