You’d think an engineer who helped us bring the McLaren F1 and Caparo T1 would have no interest in the all-electric revolution. As it turns out, however, Ben Scott Geddes is not your average supercar engineer. His new company called Fering has just unveiled their new electric Pioneer 4×4. Maybe not as exciting as a 240 mph supercar, but arguably far more important to humanity.
At first glance alone, the Pioneer seems to have what it takes to be an aggressive 4×4. Its intimidating appearance and high driver position make the Pioneer appear large and unwieldy. It’s actually built to a number of strict parameters that keep it from being larger than a medium-sized van.
With a curb weight of 1,500 kilograms (3,300 lbs), the Pioneer is no heavier than your average small crossover SUV. Rest assured, the Fering Pioneer is far from average.
This beast is powered by a series of four electric motors that are connected to the front and rear axles and positioned on each of the four axles. With 600 Nm (442.53 foot-pounds) of torque, it has performance on par with older and much dirtier diesel trucks.
The batteries that store the energy are also anything but conventional. A bank of lithium titanate oxide cells occupies the truck’s battery compartment, where lithium-ion batteries would normally be located for better operation in adverse weather conditions. An optional 800CC biodiesel generator will be available to extend the range.
Amazingly, in the Fering pioneer’s official literature, the vehicle is identified as being able to travel 7,000 kilometers (4,350 miles) between refueling and power stops with the combination of battery and diesel propulsion. These statistics have yet to be verified by an independent third party.
If at some point the Pioneer needs more fuel, Fering promises the ability to deploy various range extenders around the world. Like alcohol in Brazil or hydrogen fuel cells in Asia and America.
The Pioneer prototype is currently in the final tests and early customer reviews and should be ready for series production in the first half of 2022. The Pioneer proves that even supercar engineers are anything but one-trick ponies.
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