British Ineos Automotive, the global chemical giant’s daughter, debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (GFS), the hydrogen demonstration version of its Landrover Defender-clone, the Grenadier. The Grenadier Demonstrator got BMW’s latest fuel cell technology as used for the iX5 Hydrogen.

After ‘rigorous offroad testing’ in the Austrian mountains, the Grenadier Demonstrator proved capable of doing everything its ICE sibling is suited for. Ineos Automotive also plans to launch a BEV version of the Grenadier in 2026, which will be built in Austria at contract manufacturer Magna Steyr.

From Hyundai to BMW

Eventually, this FCEV Grenadier, co-developed with Austrian automotive specialist AVL, was likely to get Hyundai Nexo’s fuel cell system when the project was first introduced in October 2021. The switch to BMW isn’t that surprising, as the basic ICE-powered Grenadiers that are built in Hambach, Germany today, are equipped with BMW’s latest gasoline and diesel engines.

Technical specs on the Demonstrator are scarce. Eventually, the ladder chassis frame and the rear axle were modified, the company says, to accommodate the two electric drive units to deliver accurate torque vectoring drive control, combined with a third motor in the front, to each wheel. “There has been no compromise to its on- and off-road capabilities or towing capacities.”

The only visible external difference is a power bulge in the hood to make room for the BMW fuel cell system, but that would be flatted out in the production model. How the Grenadier performs with the BMW iX5 Hydrogen’s powertrain was not detailed.

Toyota cells

BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen is already a joint project. The applied fuel cells are sourced from technical partner Toyota, but the whole system is developed by the German carmaker. In the iX5 Hydrogen, BMW uses more cells. The battery is not meant as a buffer but as a booster.

As such, the system output is at 401 hp. In fact, with 170 kW on tap, the battery – though with a capacity of only 3.7 kWh – is more potent than the fuel cell (125 kW). The tanks in the BMW can hold almost six kilograms of hydrogen, providing a range of 504 kilometers (WLTP).

At Goodwood, ​​Lynn Calder, CEO of Ineos Automotive, said that the hydrogen-powered Grenadier Demonstrator and the Grenadier’s all-electric model due in 2026 show Ineos’ commitment to net zero.

More extended range between stops?

“BEVs are perfect for certain uses, shorter trips, most private car journeys, and urban deliveries, while Hydrogen FCEVs are more suited for longer trips, and heavy-duty cycles where batteries impact too much on payload and where the long-range between stops are necessary,” she added. But with his Demonstrator range isn’t something to brag about yet.

According to the British magazine Autocar, the Grenadier Demonstrator would hold five kilograms of hydrogen for a range of 200 km, but the target is 550 kg for the production model. When that model is to be launched on the market is not clear yet. In 2026, Ineos plans to launch a BEV version built by Magna in Graz (Austria), probably along with the FCEV version.

Magna is also responsible for developing the complete BEV vehicle. The two companies already cooperated on the first vehicle with an internal combustion engine in 2018. At that time, however, it was purely a matter of vehicle development services.

Ineos took over the former Daimler plant in Hambach at the end of 2020 to produce the ICE-Grenadier. It has been built there since 2022. Engines by BMW. Transmissions from ZF, axles by Carraro, Recaro seats, and overall engineered by Magna Steyr. Ineos has already been shopping around quite a bit.