It’s almost a year ago since a Range Rover Range_e plug-in hybrid prototype was spotted innocuously charging at a shopping mall in the U.K.

Now Land Rover has confirmed its intentions to bring a plug-in hybrid Range Rover to market some time in the future.

For now, how far into the future remains a closely guarded secret, but talking to AutoExpress this week, Peter Richings, chief engineer for hybrid technology at British automaker hinted that it would be “sometime after 2015, but before 2020.”

Given the fact that the all-new, fourth-generation, 2013 Range Rover is due to hit dealer lots later this year, it’s likely that the first plug-in hybrid Range Rover will be based on this new, lighter Range Rover platform. 

The prototype Range_e plug-in hybrid was powered by a combination of 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine,  69 kilowatt electric motor, and 14.2 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.  

Since no diesel hybrids are currently sold in the U.S., it’s unclear if this particular combination will ever make it to the U.S.

Given that Jaguar Land Rover has already said the U.S. won’t be getting the diesel hybrid variant of the fourth-generation Range, a plug-in diesel hybrid is, at this stage, unlikely.

Range_e Plug-in Hybrid Prototype

Range_e Plug-in Hybrid Prototype

However, Jaguar Land Rover’s current plug-in hybrid prototype, the XJ_e, is powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 69 kilowatt electric motor, and 12.3 kilowatt-hour battery pack. 

Thanks to its fuel type, this particular combination could provide a more suitable marriage for the U.S. market, although no confirmations have been made in either direction. 

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