Vanderhall Brawley. Ambitious bid for coolness
The Brawley is a new all-electric hybrid of a racing buggy and a regular 3-door SUV from the American company Vanderhall, scheduled for mass production in 2022. Initially announced as the Navarro, the new buggy-type SUV has a solid 4-seater, fairly comfortable body and outstanding off-road capabilities, as it is able to drive at high speed over sand dunes, rocks and gullies. The Brawley is not designed for public roads. It does not have airbags and modern electronic driver assistants. You can pre-order it now on Vanderhall’s website with a $100 deposit. The Brawley will have a minimum price of $34,950 and will later be available in Europe, but no euro price has been announced yet.
Vanderhall Motor Works is an American automobile manufacturer based in Provo, Utah. It produces tricycles designed for sports driving, commuting and city driving. Vanderhall tricycles are essentially 3-wheeled motorcycles with automotive controls and front wheel drive. There are two versions, the Venice and the Carmel, both powered by GM's 1.5-litre SGE-series turbocharged gasoline engine producing from 185 to 250 hp, paired with a 6-speed hydromechanical automatic transmission. The manufacturer intends on releasing electric 3-wheel versions. In 2022, the launch of a completely new and first 4-wheel model, the Brawley SUV, is expected.
According to the manufacturer, the new Vanderhall Brawley has amazing off-road capabilities. They are defined by a fully steerable chassis that is reinforced with powerful springs and dampers with external reservoirs. The off-road vehicle can drive diagonally to the side (eCrab mode) and perform a tank turn, since the wheels on the right and left can rotate in opposite directions. Moreover, it is able to climb a 90-degree slope. The off-road capabilities of the electric vehicle are enhanced by the ViDAR artificial vision system, equipped with sensors and video cameras. Overall, the 2022 Vanderhall Brawley looks very impressive. All the declared characteristics sound realistic, so it remains to wait for the release of the electric vehicle and see if it is as cool as the manufacturer claims.
Design
The Vanderhall Brawley looks like a standard small-sized SUV, put on a powerful all-terrain platform. The electric vehicle is 3.75 m long, 1.93 m wide and 1.76 m high, offering the wheelbase of 2.86 m and the ground clearance of 45.7 cm. The SUV is devoid of bumpers, it has a small toothy front radiator grille, huge wheel arches and huge wheels, wide windshield, and large rear-view mirrors. The visor above the rear window makes the Brawley look somewhat bold.
The interior comprises two seats in front and two seats in the back, separated by a huge central tunnel that runs through the entire passenger compartment. It contains a battery. The tunnel looks so huge that it looks like you can sleep on it if you want. The list of equipment includes air conditioning, heated seats, and sound system.
Powertrain
The new Vanderhall Brawley is powered by four electric motors, one on each wheel. The total power of the engines is 400 hp and the torque reaches 670 Nm. The Vanderhall drive is an integrated unit with motors, inverter, transmission, lubrication system and brakes.
The motors are powered by a 300-volt lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt battery designed by the company, with a capacity of 40 to 60 kWh. The Brawley offers regenerative braking capability, which increases its range. By the way, the manufacturer claims that the driving range is up to 320 km, which is very cool, especially if this is a distance for real off-road conditions. Actual off-road driving range can vary greatly due to different types of terrain and driving styles, so it will be interesting to see what the actual numbers are.
The Brawley’s battery packs theoretically have the lowest self-heating rate of any battery type currently available and it’s one of the most efficient battery types, with a high energy density. Charging can be carried out by either by a built-in 6 kilowatt charger or a DC charger that replenishes 80% of the battery capacity in less than an hour.
