Hyundai Ineos Grenadier to go hydrogen

Prototype 4x4 using Hyundai hydrogen tech will open the way for production models

Ineos Grenadier FCEV Hydrogen tech from Hyundai

Ineos will use Hyundai’s fuel cell (FCEV) powertrain technology for a hydrogen-fuelled concept version of the Grenadier 4x4 – and it is highly likely to evolve into a series-production car.

As part of a wide-reaching plan to ramp up its investment in hydrogen technology, Ineos will build the prototype in partnership with UK-based engineering firm AVL, ahead of on- and off-road testing beginning by the end of 2022. It is not yet confirmed which powertrain the Grenadier FCEV will use. Hyundai currently sells the Nexo with a 95kWh fuel cell and a 159bhp electric motor, but it will usher in a heavily updated powertrain in 2023 that will be more compact and offer improved efficiency and durability.

Ineos’s partnership with Hyundai has benefits for both parties: Ineos gains access to one of the most mature hydrogen-fuelled powertrains on the market for use in its vehicles, while Hyundai can tap into the UK chemical firm’s experience in producing and distributing hydrogen. No date has been given for the retail roll-out of the Grenadier FCEV. The BMW-engined petrol and diesel variants will go on sale in the UK from July 2022.

This latest announcement forms part of Ineos’s wide-reaching commitment to popularising hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. It has already pledged €2 billion (£1.7bn) to its efforts in this area and has launched a ‘hydrogen advocacy’ campaign emphasising the benefits of the fuel source. Ineos claims to be “Europe’s largest existing operator of electrolysis” – a means of hydrogen production – and says the 400,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen it produces each year is the equivalent of replacing “up to two billion litres of diesel”.

Ineos may use the new FCEV unit from the 2023 Nexo. Hydrogen-fuelled Grenadier will start testing next year.