The Twisted Recharge is a classic Defender EV | FOS Future Lab

‘Twisted Recharge’, as the initiative is known, aims to rejuvenate gas-guzzling Defenders by adding an electric drivetrain, which promises 325PS (320bhp), 460Nm (340lb ft) of torque and more than 200 miles of range. And that’s not to mention the satisfaction you get for reducing your carbon footprint, while enjoying both on- and off-road performance on a par with a conventional Defender. With four-wheel-drive and switchable high and low range, it promises to serve the same purpose as the internal combustion models, albeit without an engine, a traditional gearbox, emissions or noise.

So what’s the catch? There isn’t one. The Yorkshire-based tuners have been converting Land Rovers for 20 years already, so they know a thing or two about the Defender. Unless you consider the price of £70,000, that is, which could well buy you two new Land Rover Defenders, and doesn’t even include the base car on which Twisted does the conversion…

Comprising an “EV drivetrain, exclusive direct drive power system and US-made electric motor”, it can be fitted to 90, 110 and 130 Defenders. Here in the UK, the job is done at their Bristol factory over roughly a fortnight.

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