The hydrogen-powered INEOS Grenadier is back on the company's plans. And it's closer than you think

A few months ago, INEOS announced that it was giving up on developing the hydrogen-powered Grenadier. It was not a project that seemed attractive or practical to them. But the intentions of the British brand have changed, and they have decided to continue its development. This is not surprising, since INEOS is a petrochemical company led by Jim Ratcliffe, a motor enthusiast. This means that the company has ties to the automotive world, such as Formula 1 and the creation of this off-roader.

The project for the hydrogen-powered INEOS Grenadier was halted because there is no good hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, which is quite a drawback for a vehicle designed to reach the most remote corners of the planet. The surprise has been considerable, because at the Goodwood Festival of Speed the prototype of the British off-roader based on a fuel cell was presented.

Aesthetically, there is no difference between this model and the two petrol and diesel engine variants. The change is under the bonnet, where the combustion engine blocks have been replaced by a hydrogen fuel cell. The supplier of these two engines is BMW, so there were doubts about which supplier the company would choose for the hydrogen fuel cell. The answer has also been BMW, together with Toyota.

To offer reliable electric motor technology with every guarantee, once again the Bavarian manufacturer has been trusted. BMW has supplied the same electric motor that equips the BMW iX5 Hydrogen. Looking at the German SUV, this motor delivers a power output of 300 kW, equivalent to 402 CV. The range of this vehicle is 504 kilometres, which is not bad at all.

The fuel cell cells are supplied by Toyota, and are powered by the hydrogen stored in two tanks made of high-strength materials, along with a hydrogen refuelling system that allows the full range to be recovered in a few minutes.

Although there is no confirmed date for market arrival, it is already clear that, sooner or later, it will arrive. That said, it will not be cheap, because although INEOS does not want to be a brand with very high prices, it is clear that this type of off-roader, with its very high capabilities, cannot be priced very competitively.

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