Scottish Munro Mark 1 budget electric 4×4 would have Aussie appeal
A start-up company from Scotland has revealed its Munro Mark 1 – a fully electric five-seater 4×4 designed and hand-built in the UK.
It promises 160kW and 350Nm, 52kWh usable battery capacity, a 240-kilometre range and 1000kg payload. We’re told the 1250-litre rear utility area can fit a pallet. There’s AC charging onboard, while DC rapid charging will take the battery from 20-80 percent charge in roughly 30 minutes.
Rendered photos are all we have seen so far, but this all-terrain 4×4 promises to be ‘good value for money’ and able to reach “some of the wildest and most rugged parts of the world”. Already car makers are predicting EVs will be more capable as off-roaders than their 4WD ICE counterparts.
Built on a thick, galvanised ladder chassis with live axles front and rear, the permanent four-wheel-drive Munro with two-speed transfer case has the possibility of fitting up to 37-inch tyres, so would be of huge interest to many Australians for both work and play.
The firm says the Mark 1 aims to be “the greatest 4×4 electric vehicle on the market”, which is your typical bold claim from startups, but there’s nothing wrong with aiming high.
Cheap and simple
The company’s website says in 2019 Russ Peterson and Ross Anderson started their endeavour to build an electric 4×4 vehicle “for work, camping and exploring”, and founded All Terrain All Electric (ATAE). They started converting a Land Rover to electric, but soon decided to pivot the company and develop an all-new 4×4 electric vehicle instead.
Sensibly, the firm says it’s keeping things simple for the Munro Mark 1 by using widely available existing OEM parts such as brakes and suspension “making repairs fast, easy and cheap”.
ATAE doesn’t need to worry about developing its own chassis and body either. For these they’re taking already-in-production items from England’s Foer’s Engineering Ibex F8, a tough-as-all-hell all-terrain vehicle which uses a petrol or diesel engine.
ATAE claims a working prototype will be ready this year, when potential customers can have demonstrations. Then, following a global testing programme, order book plan to open by the middle of this year and deliveries expected in early 2022.
Aussie suited
While there’s no word on if and when they’re built they could ever make it to Australia, a no-fuss utilitarian 4×4 would be much coveted by many of our rural folk and farmers seeking an uncomplicated, easily repairable EV off-roader to replace their diesels.
Our market is known to have a penchant for cheap off-roaders (don’t deny it, we bought nearly 2000 Great Walls last year) and the Made in Britain tag would carry some cachet here.
By early estimates, the Munro Mark 1 would cost substantially less than the Ineos Grenadier hydrogen FCEV, which also could be seen as a new-fuel replacement for the old-school Land Rover Defender.
The Munro Mark 1 assembly will take place in the company’s purpose-built facility in Glasgow, Scotland. Orders will be online only, with vehicles delivered directly to the buyer’s home. Servicing and repairs would be carried out by the company’s service fleet, also set to be electric vehicles.
“We decided early on that we weren’t looking to re-invent the wheel,” said co-founder Ross Anderson. “We’ve used straightforward and readily available components to minimise the cost of production and provide owners with an accessible means to maintain and repair their own vehicle.
“Elements like the suspension and differentials have already been in use for over 25 years in some of the harshest environments. This has the added benefit that replacement parts are extremely easy to source anywhere in the world.”
We’re also told the company can build bespoke versions, be that with increased battery life, extra payload, or even a six-wheel-drive version.
Interested parties can register interest through the company’s website’s contact form. And if anyone brings one Down Under as a paddock basher, do let us know!
