
Pedio
British electric car company BEDEO specializes in converting diesel trucks into hybrid cars thanks to its intelligent in-wheel motor technology. And its latest project – an electric Land Rover Defender conversion – could see its technology ending up on your driveway.
Land Rover’s now-defunct “old” Defender is a suitable candidate for an EV. There is room for motors, batteries, and various other miscellaneous items inside; In certain parts of the world, you’ll find yourself stumbling upon it without even trying. For some reason, people are nostalgic for the past, so they don’t mind spending money on the perfect Landy. There are plenty of them out there already – the British Army is looking to convert some of its fleet of Defenders to electric cars, while Restomod companies will sell you one upholstered in the skin of an exotic creature, and many others promise to cruise in ultra-silence up and down the world’s blocks and bumps.
While most will remove the diesel engine and replace it with a conventional electric motor, the BEDEO approach is different. Instead of mounting the motor(s) on the chassis, connected to the wheels by driveshafts, the company center mounts them, placing a motor in each wheel, freeing up space elsewhere to avoid encroachment on space previously used by oil pieces.
There is not much to see from the outside.
Pedio
A peek below will reveal the battery box.
Pedio
There’s a screen built into the rearview mirror that displays charging status and other information about the powertrain.
Pedio
There’s a rearview camera too.
Pedio
No one would ever accuse a defender of having a good work environment.
Pedio
Hub motors have been tried before, but they add unsprung weight.
Pedio
Off-road, you can feel the four motors operating independently in slippery conditions.
Pedio
However, BEDEO does not plan to sell directly to consumers. Instead, it will offer its solutions to other companies looking to offer electrical conversions and allow them to offer any level of reconnection service they want. Before that happened, the company converted its Land Rover as a proof of concept.
The motors are from partner Protean, which has been working on axial motor technology for years. The two work together in BEDEO’s core business of converting existing diesel trucks into hybrids – the ICE components remain in place driving the front wheels, and the rear wheels gain electric power, linked to a conveniently placed battery. Fleets can keep their existing vehicles in service while adhering to the UK’s low emission zones. (BEDEO also offers full EV conversions as an alternative to hybrid setups.) These EV and hybrid conversions gave BEDEO plenty of real-world data — more than 37 million miles (60 million kilometers) of it — and showed just how powerful the Protean’s wheel drives are. Few things test the wheels like a truck driver in a hurry.
So how does this system work? Instead of two hub-mounted motors being fed by a battery, here there are four in-wheel motors and a 75 kWh battery. This combination means it weighs about the same as the ICE setup it replaces and is good for 153 miles on the WLTP cycle, says BEDEO. Charging to 100 percent takes five hours with a 22 kW AC charge, or you can select a 50 kW fast charge to get the job done in 90 minutes. The engines generate 320 hp (239 kW) and an impressive 1,916 lb-ft (2,598 Nm), although that doesn’t mean they’re extremely fast; Acceleration from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) takes 10 seconds, and the car tops out at 80 mph (129 km/h).

Pedio
On the road, it feels like a Defender – heavy, not that fast, and very much like its era. The controls, apart from some fancy screens and a new steering wheel, are exactly as you’d expect from Solihull’s finest. The biggest difference is that all the squeaks and rattles that come standard from the factory can’t hide behind a noisy diesel engine anymore. There are a few regenerative braking modes to choose from, and in town, I found it best to leave it on its strongest setting, allowing for one-pedal driving. Power is delivered smoothly, and although its 0-62mph time seems a little glacial by modern electric car standards, in this context it seems adequate.
For my test drive, the BEDEO didn’t just take me on the road, but directed me towards some muddy trails with instructions to see what it could do. I wouldn’t describe the road as difficult, but it was enough to show the benefit of having four independently controlled wheels. You can feel the wheels doing different things when things get a little slippery. The advantage of transferring power to each wheel alone is clear here – no need for big, heavy mechanical differentials, just motors talking to an electronic brain.
As a concept, it works well. The cabin and trunk are not filled with electronics or batteries, and you can enjoy at least 100 miles (160 km) of fun. The issue of unsprung weight will play a role for some, but it doesn’t really matter here. The car is already a heavy lump, and no one driving it would try to mow the tops off at full speed. This might be a problem in a supercar, but in a Landy? Nah. There will likely be more BEDEO kits on the way using Protean technology, but who knows what they will be. For now, the Defender concept is running and will soon be coming to a remodeling dealer, or perhaps even one of the more intrepid OEMs, near you.