PEAK PRACTICE

A Glasgow-based start-up is generating demand from surprising places for its new Defender-style EV. Charlie Martin meets the team behind it and bags a Munro

- Charlie Martin

An old Land Rover is like a trusty sheepdog: an essential tool for those who work with one, and a cutesy part of a countryside scene for everyone else. But, as with our furry friend, there comes a time when its dependability fades and retirement beckons.

So if you run an old Defender, what do you replace it with? If you work for the one-percenters at the Gleneagles golf course, the answer is a brand-new Defender 110 75th Edition, at a cool £90,200. Others might stump up £55,000 for a new Ineos Grenadier, whereas smaller businesses or individuals might look at a sub-£30,000 Ford Ranger.

What none of these solutions addresses is the growing pressure on industries to cut their CO₂ emissions by all possible means. A single-cab Ranger chucks out 226g/km, the new Defender 240g/km and the Grenadier 276g/km in its most efficient form.

Which brings us to Munro, a Scottish start-up aiming to produce a green do-it-all commercial vehicle called the Mk1. This electric 4x4's resemblance to the classic Defender is more than coincidence. As co-founder and CEO Russ Peterson explains, the firm originally set out to build a spiritual successor to the Defender as it was put out to pasture, targeting the go-anywhere 'leisure' market. What transpired was a demand not from enthusiasts but from industrial fleets.