Off-road lovers have been patiently waiting for the Ineos Grenadier, a hydrogen-powered SUV inspired by the original Land Rover Defender, to go on sale, but the vehicle has once again been delayed. Or at least, a version of it has.
According to the Car Expert, this latest setback is due to a lack of hydrogen infrastructure in many of Ineos Automotive's important markets.
"Fuel-cell electric vehicle for us is the right zero-emission option for this vehicle, but because of the infrastructure problems, we can't make a full bet on fuel-cell until we have more confidence that people can fill it up," Ineos Automotive commercial director Mark Tennant said at the press launch in Scotland.
"We will have a fuel-cell vehicle running around by mid-year. It has nothing to do with if fuel cell technology is there. It is, [but there is no infrastructure]," he added.
Two important markets for the Grenadier, the UK and Australia, have seven and three hydrogen stations, respectively. The US isn't much better, with 54 publicly available stations, 53 of which are located in California. The other station is in Hawaii.
Unless you live somewhere in California where a desert and hydrogen station are both within driving distance, there would be no way to enjoy the Grenadier FCEV.
Ineos never stated whether the FCEV version would be sold in the USA. It would have sold well in California, using a similar business model as the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo. It could have quickly become the green alternative to the Mercedes-AMG G63, which used to be the celebrity car of choice before Tesla came along.
The confirmed US model will be equipped with a 3.0-liter B58 inline-six engine from BMW mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Other markets will get a diesel engine, and Ineos reportedly wants to build a fully electric variant as well.
Order books are currently open, and Ineos says it has already taken more than 5,000 reservations with a $450 refundable deposit. Ineos hopes to have over 35 dealers in North America by the end of 2023.
The Station Wagon is scheduled to go on sale later this year, with the Double Cab Pickup available later.