Scotland’s Munro Vehicles unveils first all-electric 4X4
Scottish EV brand Munro Vehicles has unveiled its first vehicle, the all-electric 4X4 Munro Mk_1.
Designed, engineered, and built in Britain, the Munro Mk_1 features a state-of-the-art 280kW electric powertrain capable of transporting a crew of five to the most rugged locations, accommodating an 1000kg payload and 3500kg towing capacity.
Priced from £49,995 (excluding VAT) in five-door, five-seat, 130-inch wheelbase Utility guise, Munro has already received deposits for several Munro MK_1s that it will hand-build next year. Orders have come from locations across the globe including the UK, Switzerland, St Lucia, and Dubai. Several pre-sale agreements have been reached with fleet operators in key industries.
In 2024, Munro will expand from its current headquarters in East Kilbride to a new purpose-built factory in central Scotland, where production will scale to more than 250 units per year initially, leading to the creation of 300 new jobs. The new site will eventually produce 2,500 vehicles per annum. Munro is the first automotive manufacturer to build cars at scale in Scotland since Peugeot-Talbot closed its Linwood plant in 1981, which the Rootes Group established in 1963.
The company was founded in 2019 by Russell Peterson and Ross Anderson, with Peterson assuming the CEO role and Anderson appointed Head of Powertrain. The idea, which is named after a Scottish mountain that exceeds a height of 3000 feet, came to Peterson and Anderson during an off-road camping trip in the Highlands.
“We had already taken measures to reduce our own environmental footprints and had a lot of experience driving our own EV, 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.”
“On the return journey, we stopped at a café in Braemar, where a bank of 50kW 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.”
The Munro is offered with a choice of two electric motors, 220kW and 280kW, along with the option of two battery packs, 61kWh and 82kWh, affording an optimum range of up 190 miles This allows the Munro to operate off-road for up to 16 hours on a single battery charge.
The vehicle’s battery pack comprises 35 state-of-the-art Lithium NMC battery modules mounted in three heavy-duty aluminium boxes underneath the vehicle. This arrangement ensures it is quick, convenient, and inexpensive to replace individual battery modules if required. A fully integrated heat pump-based thermal management system bolsters efficiency, and the Munro’s battery pack is guaranteed to deliver 80 per cent of its original energy capacity for at least eight years and 100,000 miles.
“With your average electric vehicle, the battery is designed to last the life of the car, so in most cases, customers will never have to worry about replacing it. But because the Munro is engineered to last several decades, we will either recondition or replace the battery pack for customers when the time comes. This has the added benefit of guaranteeing the future value of our customers’ vehicles,” Anderson explained. “We will partner with companies specialising in reuse and recycling to recoup the residual value of the battery pack, which will enable us to fit the latest battery technology at a reasonable cost.”
The Munro is offered with a choice of two AC charging options, 7kW to replenish the battery overnight, and 22 kW, which provides a full charge in around three and a half hours. An industry-standard DC CCS charger is also provided, enabling the battery to be replenished in just over 30 minutes.
Every Munro is geared for torque, with a top speed of 80mph, and the 280kW Performance version can surge to 62mph in a mere 4.9 seconds. However, the focus of the vehicle is firmly on utility, workability, and superior off-road drivability.
Anderson added: “Peak torque of 700Nm is available up to 50mph, which ensures excellent response off-road. It also means the Munro can effortlessly tow a braked trailer weight of up to 3500kg. Whether it’s a mini digger, a power generator or livestock that needs transporting, the Munro makes light work of it.”
