Three Range Rover Diesel Hybrid prototypes have traversed 13 countries over 53 days from Solihull to Mumbai. It is the world’s first ever hybrid expedition along the Silk Trail.
Hostile conditions on the route included asphalt roads with vast potholes, dusty desert trails in 43°C heat and numerous miles of mud and gravel tracks and cattle trails. In addition, river crossings, mountain passes partly blocked by rock falls, erratic traffic of Chinese and Indian roads.
The Silk Trail 2013 expedition was the final validation test for the Range Rover Hybrid before it is signed-off for production. From Solihull, it travelled through France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China (including Tibet), Nepal and India. For much of this distance the expedition followed the Silk Road trading routes that first connected Asia with Europe more than 2500 years ago.
Where the north and south Silk Roads split, near the remote city of Kashgar in north-western China, the expedition pioneered a mountainous route never previously completed by a vehicle from outside the country and never previously seen in its entirety by any westerner – the Xinjiang-Tibet highway, which put the new Range Rover Hybrid through its paces at heights of over 5300m above sea level.
Negotiating tracks so sticky with mud that they were impassable to other types of vehicle, the Range Rover’s hybrid engine combination – with a 35kW electric motor supporting the TDV6 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine – returned 36-37mpg.
Land Rover development engineers closely monitored data loggers fitted to each car, sending back more than 300 gigabytes of detailed technical records to their engineering team at Gaydon. The purpose of the expedition was not to test the reliability of mechanical components, which are already proven, but to fine-tune the calibration of engine and transmission software to ensure perfectly seamless performance in all terrains and extreme temperatures and altitudes. Technical setbacks reflected the roughness of the road surfaces: 15 punctures among the expedition’s three Range Rover Hybrids and four support vehicles, four wheels damaged by deep potholes, and four windscreens cracked by stones thrown-up on loose surfaces.
Is the Editor of the Parkers website and price guide, formerly editor of Classic Car Weekly, and launch editor/creator of Modern Classics magazine. Has contributed to various motoring titles including Octane, Practical Classics, Evo, Honest John, CAR magazine, Autocar, Pistonheads, Diesel Car, Practical Performance Car, Performance French Car, Car Mechanics, Jaguar World Monthly, MG Enthusiast, Modern MINI, Practical Classics, Fifth Gear Website, Radio 4, and the the Motoring Independent...
Likes 'conditionally challenged' motors and taking them on unfeasible adventures all across Europe.
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Well done Land Rover. Good to know that they can still perform where it matters!
I am not sure why support vehicles were needed. The Austin Allegro which did broadly the same route had no need for this and see http://www.aronline.co.uk/blogs/events/events-london-to-tashkent-by-allegro/
I note that the Allegro had fewer punctures but then it must have been rather lighter.
But then, the Allegro is one very special car…
I would suggest that if the Allegro had packed up, application of a match would have dispensed with any future liabilities.
But dumping a brand new Range Rover Hybrid is out of the question!
Chris.
bet the alegro is easier to fix! no nightmare electronics…
sorry allegro i spelt you wrong