Ineos, whose wider empire includes a hydrogen production company, admits that however desirable hydrogen might be as a fuel of the future, there is currently no commercial demand for a hydrogen-powered car nor an infrastructure to support it.
Should legislation change to accept that electric cars are not a one-size-fits-all solution for future powertrains, a production version of the Ineos Grenadier hydrogen prototype it has created could appear in the 2030s, according to Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder.
"I believe it can be a strong part of our mix in the future but we're some way off that," said Calder, who reiterated hydrogen’s appeal in mimicking internal combustion engine cars for fill-up times and range.
For now, such a car exists as a one-off prototype that took just 11 months to develop and is about to embark on a world tour to show the qualities and relevance of hydrogen as a future fuel.
Hydrogen is so well suited to heavy-duty off-road vehicles like the Grenadier, unlike a battery-electric solution that would make it “too heavy off road, limit towing and [create] the issue of charging in the middle of nowhere”, said Calder. To that end, Ineos sees potential use for “emergency services, NGOs, border forces”.
Ineos leverages its existing powertrain relationship with BMW to source the 115kW fuel cell (which sits under a bonnet that itself gets a distinctive large bulge to accommodate it) and two 2kg hydrogen storage tanks that are placed in the ladder chassis. In this prototype it's good for a range of 200km (124 miles), a figure that would be trebled for production.
