Cars

Vanderhall Brawley revealed as an old-school electric off-roader

By Sagar

Posted on July 3, 2021

A breath of fresh air, literal or otherwise.

Utah-based three-wheeler maker Vanderhall Motor Works is trying out a four-wheeler for the first time, which it calls ‘Brawley’. In fact, the Brawley marks a couple more firsts for Vanderhall: the vehicle is an off-roader and is all-electric.

From the front and front-three quarter angles, the Brawley looks just like how an all-electric Wrangler concept would look; let’s hope that Stellantis’ lawyers don’t send a notice to Vanderhall. Other than that, the Brawley boasts 18-inch wheels wrapped with 35-inch off-road tyres and up to 22-inches of suspension travel.

Inside, there is seating for four adults and lots of glass areas. That additional glass on the door panel should make the off-roading experience even better. Apparently, the roof sections are removable. The dashboard has been kept super simple with only essential, physical controls; there’s no touchscreen nonsense here. Indeed, a breath of fresh air compared with the tech-overloaded robots we’ve been seeing recently. Other features include air-conditioning with heating, Bluetooth audio system, heating function for seats, and ViDAR (Visual Detection and Ranging) system.

As for the juicy bits, the Brawley is powered by four electric motors, one for each wheel. The motors, inverter, geartrain, brakes, and cooling system are housed in a single, compact unit; one such unit forms an axle. The motors develop a combined 301 kW (409 metric hp) and 651 Nm (480 lb-ft) of torque. As for the battery pack, there are two options: a 40 kWh or a 60 kWh, with the latter estimated to offer up to 322 km (200 miles) of range. A 6 kW onboard charger comes standard. With DC fast-charging, up to 80% charge is claimed to be achieved in under an hour.

Vanderhall clarifies that the Brawley is an off-roading vehicle and not a traditional automobile. Meaning, it doesn’t come with airbags or any active safety systems and therefore does not meet automotive safety standards. However, it does come with an ABS system.

Pricing is yet to be revealed, but reservations will start on 15 July 2021.