“For the Grenadier, hydrogen fuel cell is a better way to fuel an electric vehicle because of its lower weight and greater capability,” Ineos Automotive CEO Dirk Heilmann told Automotive News Europe. The weight of batteries cuts into the payload for the commercial variants. “If you want to move loads it’s a bit of a problem,” he said.
The company is relying on two-seat and five-seat van variants to expand sales in the U.K. and the rest of Europe.
Selling those alongside the five-seat SUV would mean the company could still be classified as a small-volume manufacturer and thus escape the strict 95g/km average CO2 limit demanded by the European Union.
Next year the company will add a longer double-cab pickup, another variant once offered by the original Defender
Ineos is able to sell up to 22,000 commercial vehicles and 10,000 cars in the EU under the small-volume special derogation. However, the company still needs to agree a CO2 target reduction with the bloc and for that it would need zero emissions offerings. Ineos has ruled out a plug-in hybrid.
A full-electric SUV will appeal to some specific customers, Heilmann said. “There will be off highway, specialist applications where range does not play a role, the mining industry for example but it’s very specific,” he said.
The company agreed a link up with Hyundai to supply a fuel cell drivetrain, but Heilmann said the technology for the final production version “would not necessarily” come from Hyundai.
A fuel cell version would not arrive until 2027 “at the earliest,” Heilmann added.
The company is also mulling a short-wheelbase offroader, but hit a snag with its BMW drivetrain, which combines a longitudinal BMW inline six engine with a ZF eight-speed gearbox and would be too long for the smaller vehicle.
“We would not have enough space to get the driveshaft in at a reliable angle,” Heilmann said, adding that the solution could be to make the model available only as an EV.
Ineos aims to start deliveries of the gasoline version in the U.S. in 2023, with orders starting later this year. The car will have a less prominent front fender due to the different pedestrian protection regulations there.
The company will target buyers of “top-end Ford Broncos and Jeep Wranglers” in the U.S. market, Tennant said.
