Ineos presents fuel-cell Grenadier 4×4

Ineos Automotive has revealed a hydrogen-fuel-cell variant of its Grenadier 4×4 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The demonstrator switched out the conventional BMW-supplied combustion engines for BMW’s latest hydrogen-fuel-cell stack.

Ineos, which is itself a division of hte British chemical company Ineos Group told Autocar that the fuel-cell vehicle holds 5 kg of hydrogen, allowing it to reach a range of around 200 km (124 miles) between fill-ups. The company is not done yet, however, and added that it would target 550 km (342 miles) for the eventual production model. In terms of other technical specifications, the vehicle runs on three electric drives, with one in the front and two on each rear wheel, which the manufacturer claims can reach 5900 lb-ft of torque.

Again, Ineos Automotive points to improvement for the production version of the vehicle, where the company wants to reach a combined output of 13,276 lb-ft of torque.

Originally, Ineos had used a Hyundai powertrain, after signing a memorandum of understanding with the South Korean company. The choice to opt for a hydrogen drive was also motivated by the Ineos Group’s access to their own hydrogen production capacities.

“Our demonstrator proves that the technology is capable,” said Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder, “but what we need now is support from policy makers to help provide the infrastructure for the next generation of hydrogen vehicles.” She also points out that hydrogen should be balanced with other forms of emissions-free transportation: “BEVs are perfect for certain uses, shorter trips, most private car journeys, and urban deliveries, whilst Hydrogen FCEVs are more suited for longer trips, and heavy-duty cycles where batteries impact too much on payload and where the long-range between stops are necessary.”

In 2026, Ineos wants to launch a battery-electric vehicle as well and will have it produced by contract manufacturer Magna in Graz, which is also producing the Fisker Ocean. This announcement makes it appear that the company is hedging its bets when it comes to vehicle technology development.

joint-forces.com (press release), autocar.co.uk, insideevs.com