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Production of the Ineos Grenadier, inspired by the classic Defender, is now in full swing. The SUV will likely be available to US consumers at some point, but Ineos Automotive won't be rushing its launch of a hydrogen-powered version. That's not because they don't have the technology developed; rather, it's because the global infrastructure for charging hydrogen vehicles isn't yet in place.
Mark Tennant, commercial director at Ineos Automotive, told CarExpert that they already have an operational hydrogen Grenadier ready. However, due to issues surrounding the lack of a suitable infrastructure for refueling them, there are no plans to release it just yet. Tennant explained: "Fuel-cell electric vehicles are ideal for this vehicle from a zero-emission perspective; however, without solid infrastructure in place we can't risk betting on fuel cells yet."
The details of what powertrain features the hydrogen Grenadier contains remain unclear. When Ineos first unveiled their plans for such a vehicle back in 2021, they said they would collaborate with AVL - one of the leading automotive engineering companies - on the development process. With the automaker's parent company producing over 400,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen every year, creating a fuel-cell model of their off-roader seemed like an obvious step forward.
However it seems that plan is not ready to come to fruition just yet - at least not until 2027 according to CEO Dirk Heilmann - as hydrogen charging infrastructure just isn't there yet. On the other hand, Ineos Automotive do appear to be looking into alternatives such as battery powered versions and another slightly smaller EV off roader.
Source: CarExpert
