Ineos has revealed a hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) demonstrator version of its rugged Grenadier off-roader at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Designed in collaboration with Austrian engineering firm AVL, this demonstrator Ineos Grenadier uses the BMW Group’s “latest” hydrogen FCEV powertrain, which it claims is the “most advanced and powerful in the automotive sector”.
Ineos hasn’t provided any details or claimed outputs on the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain besides saying the electric drive units deliver “true torque vectoring drive control to each rear wheel”.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is powered by a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 295kW of power. It’s fed by a fuel cell stack sourced from Toyota and two 700-bar hydrogen tanks made from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP).
The iX5 has a claimed WLTP range of 504km and refuelling the hydrogen tanks takes three to four minutes.
Ineos claims to have undergone “rigorous testing” on the hydrogen Grenadier demonstrator to ensure there has been no compromise to its on- and off-road capabilities, as well as its towing capacities.
The demonstrator has apparently “conquered” a number of trails around the Austrian mountains and various off-road challengers around the city of Graz.
The only visible external change on this Ineos Grenadier FCEV demonstrator compared to the regular model is a bulge on the bonnet to accommodate the additional height of the fuel cell.
Ineos has said the bulge on the bonnet won’t be present in the production model.
Other modifications that can’t be seen include alterations to the Grenadier’s ladder-frame chassis and rear axle in order to accomodate the electric drive units.
At this stage it’s unclear if or when a production version of this hydrogen-powered Grenadier will go into production. An electric version is due to go into production in 2026.
“The hydrogen-powered Grenadier demonstrator along with our all-electric model due in 2026, shows Ineos’ commitment to net zero,” said Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder.
“BEVs are perfect for certain uses, shorter trips, most private car journeys and urban deliveries, whilst Hydrogen FCEVs are more suited for longer trips, heavy duty cycles where batteries impact too much on payload and where long range between stops is necessary.”
In addition to this Grenadier hydrogen demonstrator, Ineos has also revealed the Grenadier Quartermaster which is a dual-cab pickup version of the boxy off-roader.
