Would you drive this hydrogen-powered 4x4?

quote:

---

Ineos Automotive calls the Grenadier FCEV a demonstrator rather than a prototype. That's because this fuel-cell-powered 4x4 off-roader is built using hardware that's basically production ready and is entirely production feasible.

---

quote:

---

The Ineos Grenadier science project is backed by a corporate history with hydrogen and could be on sale in two years.

---

quote:

---

Grenadier FCEV will be geared for a top speed of just 100 mph. And with a targeted 13,200 lb-ft of torque at the wheels.
Grenadier FCEV would weigh about 5,900 pounds, about the same as the gas and diesel internal combustion engine Grenadiers. Being lighter than battery electric off-roaders like the 9,000-pound GMC Hummer EV or the 7,100-pound Rivian R1S SUV means for extreme off-road work the Grenadier FCEV may not need the low-range reduction gear of the output shaft of each e-motor as used in the Mercedes EQG.

---

quote:

---

Heart of the Grenadier FCEV is the fuel cell stack from the BMW iX5 hydrogen SUV, which is now in low-volume production in Munich as part of a program to test market acceptance of the powertrain concept. But while the iX5 has only a single, rear-mounted e-motor driving the rear wheels, the Grenadier FCEV demonstrator has all-wheel drive courtesy of an e-motor driving each rear wheel, and, for now, a third e-motor powering the front wheels. The production version, says Amann, is to have four e-motors—one for each wheel—to ensure maximum off-road capability.

---

quote:

---

The fuel cell concept was chosen for several key reasons. First, unlike a battery electric driveline, it's less susceptible to extreme temperature variations, crucial for a vehicle that's expected to be able to operate in everything from an Arctic snowstorm to a Sahara sandstorm. Second, Ineos Automotive's parent company, Ineos Group, the world's fourth-largest chemical company, founded in 1998 by British billionaire and old-school Land Rover Defender enthusiast Jim Ratcliffe, has a lot of experience with making, transporting, and storing hydrogen.

Ineos already produces more than 440,000 tons of hydrogen a year as a by-product of various chemical processes. The company is investing more than $2.2 billion in electrolysis projects across Europe to make zero-carbon green hydrogen. An Ineos subsidiary company, Inovyn, is a leading producer of electrolysis technologies needed to create pure hydrogen.

---