Munro Vehicles, which describes itself as being Scotland’s only volume production car company, has revealed the updated version of its pre-production MK_1 all-electric off-roader, which features a new battery pack, some design changes, and more comfort-oriented amenities inside.
Now called the Series-M, the UK-built vehicle is billed as a pilot model that incorporates a more durable Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack capable of accepting up to 130 kilowatts of DC power for a faster, 30-minute charge. The estimated driving range on asphalt is 200 miles, but Munro doesn’t say what’s the capacity of the battery.
Previously, the pre-production MK_1 was offered with either an 82.4-kWh pack good for up to 190 miles or a smaller 61-kWh battery. Both could be recharged from a 22-kW AC source or a 100-kW DC fast charger.
With the introduction of the Series-M, the powertrain options have also been tweaked. Before, the rugged off-roader could be ordered with a 295 horsepower (220 kW) drive unit or a Performance version with 375 hp (280 kW). Now, the updated model is available with either a “standard” M170 motor that makes 228 hp (170 kW) or a “high-power” M280 unit that’s good for 375 hp (280 kW).
Design-wise, the Munro Series-M truck and pickup feature a new front end that strays away from the rudimentary look of the MK_1 and adopts a more distinctive face with dual headlight assemblies on both sides. Furthermore, forward visibility has been improved by lowering the height of the nose.
At the back of the truck version in Utility spec, the Scottish 4×4 features a so-called “exoskeleton” that can be used as a base to mount all sorts of equipment on, which can come in handy for workers in the agricultural, construction, outdoor maintenance, disaster relief, rescue, and defense sectors – all of which are the targeted by Munro.
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After getting feedback from customers on its early demonstrator vehicles, the UK-based startup added an adjustable steering column with steering wheel controls and made improvements to the seat rake and height adjustment. Moreover, the Series-M features more sound deadening, airbags, brakes with ABS, stability control, and traction control, whereas the MK_1 lacked all of these.
Munro’s CEO and Co-Founder Russell Peterson said that the company has paid reservations and sales agreements for eight pilot Series-M vehicles this year and 221 production units in 2024-2025.
“Our immediate priority is to deliver Series-M pilot vehicles to early-adopter customers to demonstrate our product-market fit,” Peterson said. “Our production spec deliveries will start mid-2024, and we plan to progressively ramp up production to 2,500 vehicles per year by 2027.”
To make this happen, the startup launched an equity crowdfunding initiative on the Seedrs online investment platform that will run until the end of the month with hopes of securing enough cash to deliver its first production vehicles, hire more people, and expand its manufacturing facility.