As announced, Ineos Automotive presented a hydrogen demonstration vehicle at Goodwood. The hydrogen-powered Grenadier was designed in collaboration with AVL and BMW.

It is one of the stars of the famous British festival. This prototype is identical to the mass-produced Grenadier, apart from a bulge in the bonnet to accommodate the fuel cell. Surprisingly enough, it does not use a Hyundai fuel cell. Instead, Ineos has chosen to use “BMW’s latest hydrogen fuel cell, zero-emissions powertrain, considered the most advanced and powerful in the automotive sector.” And in this case, it is indeed the solution tried out on board the iX5 Hydrogen (see our article), with a fuel cell from Toyota.

It should be noted that this demonstrator was designed in collaboration with the Austrian group AVL, a specialist in powertrains. The project started in June 2022.

A few technical details about this hydrogen vehicle

The flexibility of the Grenadier platform enabled Ineos Automotive engineers to integrate the zero emissions powertrain by modifying the ladder frame and the rear axle. This enabled them to deliver true torque vectoring drive control to each rear wheel. This results in outstanding control and manoeuvrability in all off-road conditions (as well as a tighter turning circle and enhanced on-road driving dynamics). Secondly, the 4×4 has undergone rigorous testing, particularly on Austrian mountain trails.

According to Lynn Calder, CEO of Ineos Automotive, “The hydrogen powered Grenadier demonstrator is an extraordinary vehicle, capable of doing everything a conventionally powered Grenadier can do but with zero emissions. It shows Ineos’ determination to make supremely capable cars that will help us reach net zero.”

Ineos asks policy makers to help provide the infrastructure

It is worth noting that Ineos produces 400,000 tonnes of hydrogen every year. The group is ready to offer the solution for mobility, but what they need now is “support from policy makers to help provide the infrastructure for the next generation of hydrogen vehicles,” stresses Lynn Calder. In her view, FCEV’s* are “more suited for longer trips, heavy duty cycles where batteries impact too much on payload.”

*FCEVs: Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

Do you want to learn more about hydrogen vehicles? Then our latest 2 articles on the subject should interest you. You can read them here and there. 

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King