Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder has confirmed that the firm will show a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Grenadier 4×4 at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
At the Financial Times Future of the Car Conference in London, Calder said: “To prove that the technology is capable, we’ve built a hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator that we will launch at [the Goodwood] Festival of Speed in the summer.
“[Ineos is] a producer of 400,000 tonnes of hydrogen per annum, making big investments across Europe in green hydrogen development. We absolutely think that’s a part of the [future powertrain] mix as well.
“And I think that the combustion engine will continue, whether it be in Europe with low-carbon fuels, alternative fuels, or whether it be in corners of the world that don’t have the option or the infrastructure [to go battery-electric].”
Ineos confirmed the development of the Grenadier FCEV with British engineering firm AVL in late 2021, with on- and off-road testing having taken place last year.
It uses powertrain technology from Hyundai, with which Ineos inked a memorandum of understanding in 2020.
The Korean manufacturer has been prolific with FCEVs, selling the Nexo SUV in select markets and last year showing the N Vision 74 concept, which uses a 62.4kWh battery, a 95kW fuel cell and two motors making a combined 670bhp.
Calder added that “the broader the technology options, the better the outcome will be” for reducing the transport sector’s carbon output.
She also called on policy-makers to invest in the hydrogen fuelling network, as well as other new technologies, instead of phasing out existing powertrains.
She said: “What I see is big decisions being made, big proclamations, bans, that push the industry into a certain direction, rather than incentivising.