Ineos Fusilier: the new electric 4x4 from the British manufacturer

Ineos Automotive has just unveiled what will be the third model in its vehicle line-up. The new Fusilier will thus sit alongside the Grenadier, one step below the latter, and the Quartermaster pickup. All of these models have been developed in collaboration with Magna, which is responsible for their production at its plant in Graz, Austria.

The Fusilier differs from these other two models of the young British manufacturer, however, in its propulsion system. While the Grenadier and the Quartermaster use a combustion engine, the new Fusilier is a fully electric 4×4. A version of the latter with a range extender is also available.

As the company explains, the range extender of the new Fusilier uses a small petrol engine that acts as an electricity generator to maintain the charge level of the vehicle’s battery pack. Ineos Automotive justifies the introduction of a range extender in one of the versions of the new Fusilier by the fact that there is not always a charging point available on the routes driven with 4×4 vehicles, which makes it a genuinely interesting alternative.

Its market launch is expected toward the end of the year or early next year

For the time being, the company has not revealed the specification sheet for either version of the new Fusilier, so important data such as the range of the fully electric version, or the number of additional kilometres that can be covered thanks to the range extender, remain unknown. To obtain this information, we will have to wait until next autumn, when Ineos Automotive will also announce the definitive date of its market launch.

According to Jim Ratcliffe, the current Chief Executive of Ineos Automotive, during the Fusilier’s development phase they concluded that, in order to keep advancing towards decarbonisation without giving up on offering the brand’s customers vehicles that truly meet their needs, it was necessary to opt for a mix of technologies for the propulsion system. Thus, although fully electric vehicles are ideal for urban travel or for completing routes that are not excessively long, the same does not apply when those routes cross inhospitable terrain far from civilisation.

This is the reason, says the head of the British firm, why they decided to offer a version with a range extender. An alternative that drastically reduces emissions, while at the same time guaranteeing the level of range that users of a vehicle like this need, with the added possibility of refuelling.