Australian offroad specialist Tomcar is to release an electric vehicle.

TOMCAR have been around for a while and are no stranger to challenging convention. They have an offroad buggy that is only two-wheel-drive, but is still an incredible offroad vehicle as we found in our in-depth test. They are also Australian-based at a time when everyone else is giving up on local manufacturing. And now they’re going electric with the Tomcar LV1, developed in partnership with electric-car specialist Energetique.

Tomcar say their prototype LV1 has “undergone two years of intense development, with trials of its robust electric powertrain currently underway in the harshest environments throughout Australia” and the result is set to be the “world’s toughest EV”, with customer deliveries starting in February 2017.

The impetus behind the LV1 was the mining industry which needs a vehicle that could reliably operate in harsh environments with no emissions. However, Wild Buggy are an operation who run a fleet of Tomcars for public pleasure drives (see our review here) and they intend to switch their fleet of petrol Tomcars to electric.

Tomcar are also proud of the local technology saying “the entire vehicle is being developed here, including the unique proprietary software and our incredible powertrain system design.”

The advent of an electric Tomcar can only be positive. The LV1 is set to be quieter, cheaper to run and probably even better offroad judging by our experiences in other electric vehicles and hybrids. Maybe there would even be a shortcut to allowing it on public roads?

Tomcar LV1 Specifications

• E-motor Type: Brushless PM for low torque applications – max rpm – 8500 rpm
• Peak / Continuous Power: 100 kW (peak), 60 kW (Continuous)
• Peak / Continuous Torque: 300 Nm (Peak), 150 Nm (Continuous)
• Gearing reduction including differential ratio: around 9:1 overall
• Battery output voltage and capacity: A selection of 12-20 kWh battery storage modules.
• Operating voltage: 270-425 VDC

Related links

• Drive a Tomcar offroad at Wild Buggy
• Tomcar offroad test
• Electric gokarts
• Does a hybrid save you money?