AN ELECTRIC 4×4 off-road vehicle capable of running for 16 hours is being unveiled this evening.
East Kilbride-based carmaker Munro has named its first vehicle the “Mk_1”.
The company will begin producing the vehicles next year, before moving to a larger factory in 2024.
It plans to create 300 jobs and expand production from 250 vehicles a year to 2,500.
Munro aims to become the first large-scale carmaker in Scotland since Peugeot-Talbot closed its Linwood plant in 1981.
The mark one has a range of up to 190 miles, can seat five people, can carry 1,000kg, and tow 3,500kg.
Russell Peterson and Ross Anderson founded the company in 2019 following a trip to the Highlands.
“We had already taken measures to reduce our own environmental footprints and had a lot of experience driving our own electric vehicle, and got quite used to the instant torque delivery,” said Peterson.
“But the off-roader we were driving through the Highlands was combustion-engined, and it was really struggling on the steep climbs.
“So, we were musing how much better it would be with an electric motor.”
He added: “On the return journey, we stopped at a café in Braemar, where a bank of 50 kilowatt rapid chargers were sitting empty and unused.
“Parked up nearby was a large group of combustion-engined safari adventure 4x4s of a type that are no longer manufactured and will have to be replaced eventually.
“It dawned on us that there was a gap in the market for an electric-powered, four-wheel-drive, utilitarian workhorse.
“We envisioned a vehicle with ultimate, go-anywhere, off-road ability, unrestricted by road-derived underpinnings that limit the all-terrain ability of vehicles such as the 4×4 pick-up trucks that have come to dominate the market.”
Read more stories on Scottish Field’s motoring pages.
Plus, don’t miss the January issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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