Ava's Croxford Defender. Image: Ava
The Croxford Defender developed by Irish EV company Ava was described by GQ as ‘an off-roader with soul’.
Wicklow-based electric car manufacturer Ava has had one of its vehicles named Off-Roader of the Year at the 2022 GQ eCar Awards. The company’s Croxford Defender was in GQ’s list of “the greatest e-cars on planet Earth” this year.
Ava said that its re-imagined Land Rover Defender has a range of 200 miles, charges in three hours and can go from 0mph to 62mph in 5.4 seconds. GQ magazine described the vehicle as “an off-roader with soul”.
The EV has been in development for a decade, created by a team with experience at automotive brands such as Lotus, McLaren, Jaguar and Williams Advanced Engineering. Ava is part of the Cool Planet Group led by Irish entrepreneur Norman Crowley.
“The world is changing and it has set us a challenge. We chose to accept it and become part of the solution,” said Crowley, who founded the Ava business.
The vehicle was inspired by and designed with Stuart Croxford, a former British Army captain, who has taken part in Ironman triathlons to raise money for injured veterans after receiving life-changing injuries in Afghanistan in 2012.
“To be named as one of the greatest electric cars on planet Earth is a real honour,” Crowley said. “Our whole team has worked tirelessly to create the vehicle that will accompany Stuart Croxford on his challenge as he cycles from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in May.”
GQ associate editor Paul Henderson said the magazine made the decision to update its awards for 2022 and make all the winners electric-powered vehicles.
“What remained unchanged, though, was our intention to pick machines that are inspiring, interesting, have automotive integrity and, most importantly of all, get our pulse racing,” Henderson said. “Our winners this year are all EV wonders – from re-imagined icons to wildly ambitious next-gen zero-emissions machines.
“The futuristic, practical and downright gorgeous era of electric cars we’ve been promised is finally here,” he added.
Last year, an EY survey of 13 countries suggested demand for EVs is on the rise among car owners, as four in 10 consumers surveyed said they planned to buy an EV as their next car.
While Ireland was not one of the countries surveyed, Julia Ann Corkery of EY Ireland noted that the country lags behind many European countries in EV uptake despite a domestic increase in demand for electric transport.
Last September, a report from the UK’s Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology found that Ireland significantly lags behind its European counterparts on EV charging infrastructure, which may be detrimental to the country’s emissions-reduction goals.
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