Founded in 2009 and based in Great Britain, Bedeo is little known outside the commercial vehicle world. But as the official parts supplier for Stellantis (the car empire behind Chrysler,Alfa Romeo(Dodge, Peugeot, Opel, Maserati and more) it plays a key role in the production of electrified vans that deliver many of Europe's parcels and groceries – with the technology already proven over 40 million miles. Now Bedeo will channel these experiences into a new series of 'Reborn Electric Icons'.
Bedeo's firstrestomod is a defenderconverted into battery power. Nothing unusual there, you might think, companies likeEverratiInECD Automotive designhas been electrifying these vehicles for years. Yet this hard-working and slightly bumpy 2005 Land Rover hides some innovative new technology. Bedeo claims it is the world's first classic car with electric motors on wheels.
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Instead of the factory-fitted TD5 diesel engine, Bedeo has installed a 75 kWh battery and four compact hub motors. Each motor, nestled in the 18-inch wheels, develops 82 hp and 479 Nm of torque, although the electronics limit power to less than half so as not to overwhelm the Defender's chassis. Performance matches that of the relaxed original (0 to 100 km/h in 10 seconds and a top speed of 130 km/h), while the range is a modest 245 km. However, the major advantages of wheel motors are packaging, weight and ease of installation. And as I'll discover, they can also perform some neat torque vectoring tricks.
The Defender was chosen as a starting point because of its increasing value and the relatively high number that are still on the way. Future Bedeo projects could include thisPorsche 911InMercedes-Benz G-Wagen, although the company says the potential applications for wheel motors are virtually limitless.
As an electrical engineering company, Bedeo will not carry out any renovations itself. The plan is to recruit a network of approved installers, including those in the US, and then supply the parts - so this Defender is more of a working prototype than a full-fledged restomod. Andrew Whitehead, managing director of Protean Electric, Bedeo's division that specializes in electric motors, explains that this could be the first step in preserving and modernizing many older vehicles using in-wheel EV technology. However, Bedeo has not specified a sales price for the conversion; that must come from the installer.
Whitehead shows me around the company's workshops in Farnham, an hour from London, where engines are tested for destruction using dynamometers, G-force rigs, temperature and humidity chambers, salt spray machines and more. “We test every part to the OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer] standard, which means it should last 15 years and 300,000 kilometers,” he explains.
This Defender went electric, with 120,000 miles on the odometer, and has since covered another 11,500 miles - many of them in the hands of Bedeo founder Osman Boynor, who uses it as his daily driver. The vehicle's Grasmere Green paint shows some scuffs and the sides are splattered with mud. But apart from the green flashes on UK license plates that signify EV, there's little else on the outside to suggest it's electric.
However, climb inside and you'll find a few clues. The Defender's rudimentary dashboard and cramped driving position are virtually unchanged, but the angled gear lever and stubby low-range levers are missing from the center console. They've been replaced by a push-button panel for drive, reverse, park and eco modes, the latter of which adjusts the level of regenerative braking. The fuel gauge has also been replaced by a battery indicator, while a digital screen in the rear-view mirror (borrowed from Bedeo's electric vans) shows energy consumption and remaining range.
Unlike some converted electric cars, the Bedeo's powertrain does not infringe on interior space. In a classic Defender 110 this means a full set of nine seats with up to four passengers in the back seat (later cars had seven forward-facing seats). The circular permanent magnet motors – which contain a rotor and stator – and Bedeo's custom braking system are hidden in the wheels, while the batteries are bolted under the floor. This results in a slight decrease in ground clearance.
Many electric cars are also significantly heavier than their combustion equivalents, but the Bedeo prototype, with each wheel motor tipping the scales at around 35 kilos, would weigh about the same as a standard version of the Defender fitted with a diesel engine. engine, drive shafts and a manual gearbox. And in a car with only two driven wheels, an in-wheel EV could potentially be simpler.
As I walk into lunch traffic, I find the smoothness and quiet of the electric motors strange at first, but soon I appreciate their calming effect. In contrast to e.g. the whining flat-sixes of a Porsche 911, Land Rover's junk TD5 engine can be removed without lobotomizing the car's character. The downside, of course, is the need for frequent charging stops during longer journeys (22 kW AC or up to 50 kW DC), especially for US drivers who have to cover more kilometers.
In standard EV style, this Defender is completely easy to drive, with instant torque, linear acceleration and no gearbox or clutch worries. In full Eco mode, the rain level feels like a Tesla, allowing you to drive in city traffic without touching the brake pedal.
The engines may be quiet, but all-terrain tires combined with a 1948 aerodynamic design (or lack thereof) turn up the volume at speed. On country roads, this updated Defender still requires broad-shouldered steering input and a degree of forward planning. “We could have given it 500 horsepower like some of the more extreme restomods,” says Whitehead, “but we wanted a level of performance to match the car.”
The Bedeo has some extra unsprung weight, although this is somewhat offset by a lower center of gravity. The handling feels authentically incompetent: you're still jumping over bumps and bracing for body roll. There's less to keep your limbs busy and your brain occupied than in the original. A layer of mechanical interaction has been lost, which means that some of the charm of the original model has also been retained.
Speaking of authenticity, my route ends with a green lane: the local term for a dirt road with public right-of-way. It's exactly the kind of narrow, boggy track that British farmers drive on every day and offers a test of Bedeo's anti-slip system, which sends torque to the wheels with the most grip. In a traditional Defender you have to put the lever in low gear and lock the differential, but the motors in the wheels do all the work for you. They make off-roading incredibly easy - again, perhaps too easy for Defender purists.
The electric Defender moves and glides through ancient forests and exhibits a silence that seems to be a true blessing. It does not disturb or pollute the environment and encourages the goodwill of hikers, riders and others on the greenway. And everyone loves a classic Land Rover. Whether wheel motors would work as effectively in a sports car like a Porsche 911 is another question, but we're intrigued to find out.
Clickherfor more photos of Bedeo's all-electric 2005 Land Rover Defender 110 Restomod.
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