Hydrogen-powered INEOS Grenadier dead on arrival

INEOS Automotive has announced it has no intention for its zero-emissions INEOS Grenadier Demonstrator to enter production any time soon, despite announcing its new hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (FCEV) technology is ready for mass production.

Speaking to carsales, INEOS boss Lynn Calder said that despite plans to produce a production-ready FCEV “soon”, there’s little chance of a hydrogen-powered Grenadier becoming available to the public until there's government support for hydrogen fuel in markets where the Grenadier is sold.

“We didn’t do the project to not build it, but today in all good conscience it’s hard for me to build a car that I don’t think people are going to buy yet,” she said.

“I firmly believe we’re going to need a mix of powertrains if we’re going to meet the targets set by governments, and I fear if we carry on putting all our eggs in one basket, we’re going to fail.”

Calder said that for those who will use the Grenadier for extreme off-roading, travelling long distance or towing, FCEV power is an ideal zero-emissions alternative to petrol or diesel.

The INEOS boss was also quick to highlight the limitations of battery-powered off-roaders when it came to travelling long distances and/or towing, although she said the car-maker was on track to produce its first EV in 2026 and it would share the same rugged DNA as the Grenadier wagon and Quartermaster pick-up.

Calder said more help is needed for the auto industry decarbonise and that supporting the production and distribution of hydrogen fuel is an important step in the achieving that goal.

“While automotive manufacturers are working really hard on the decarbonisation of the industry, we do need a bit of help from policy makers. Because at the moment we’re launching headfirst into electric vehicles, and really need help on the infrastructure,” she added.

Originally it was thought INEOS was developing its fuel-cell tech with Hyundai, but the Grenadier Demonstrator displayed at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed employed a fuel-cell developed by its petrol and diesel powertrain partner, BMW.

The BMW Group fuel-cell tech was chosen because INEOS said it was the “most advanced and powerful in the automotive sector”.

Developed in partnership with Austrian engineering firm AVL, the prototype featured an ugly modified bonnet with a prominent power bulge needed to accommodate the fuel-cell, although Calder says a subsequent redesign of the BMW fuel-cell would allow the production version to use the regular Grenadier’s bonnet, making the hydrogen version indistinguishable from petrol and diesel models.

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