Ineos Grenadier Fuel-Cell Off-Roader Suffers A Major Setback

Off-road lovers have been patiently waiting for the Ineos Grenadier, a hydrogen-powered SUV inspired by the originalLand Rover Defender, to go on sale, but the vehicle has once again been delayed. Or at least, a version of it has.

According to theCar 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.