Aussie car maker H2X Australia comes out of nowhere to announce it will soon be building hydrogen-electric vehicles south of Sydney.
New local car manufacturer H2X Australia has launched, outlining plans to build a hydrogen-electric SUV in NSW, Australia, plus two new heavy vehicles.
The news, broken by auManufacturing, is big for the local automotive industry, which suffered massive losses last decade as Toyota, Holden and Ford ceased local manufacturing. H2X is headed by ex-VW and BMW executive Brendan Norman and already employs 70 staff in Australia.
The brand plans to show a prototype of its inaugural passenger vehicle the H2X Snowy SUV next year and hit production in 2022. Before that, it says it will launch two heavy vehicles powered by hydrogen and producing around 550kW at the motor.
“We have two distinct platforms in final stages of development and will be releasing details shortly,” Norman told auManufacturing.
“We will be showing running prototypes of the first model [heavy vehicle] in November, beta versions will be available for trailing by customers in April and we want to be producing in volume in July next year.
“We are secure in our first phase of business as a sustainable long term business but looking for funding for expansion.”
The team consists of top car industry executives, including Ian Thompson (ex-Tesla), Alan Marder (ex-Toyota), Chris Reitz (ex-Alfa Romeo design director), Peter Zienau (ex-Saab and Chevrolet) and Kevin McCann (ex-Volvo and Hyundai).
The production facility is located at Port Kemble, south of Sydney, and is the site where the production of the Snowy SUV is planned. The car will be powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell with 60kWh capacity and an electric motor producing almost 200kW. It should arrive in 2022 if all goes to plan, though Norman says that its viability is contingent on hydrogen refueling infrastructure – currently very thin on the ground right now.
H2X says its targets are to produce 3700 vehicles by 2021 and up to 25,000 by 2025, with 75 per cent of parts locally produced.
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Just make it a regular electric car, with the same charging plug as all the other electric cars.
I don’t want to drive many miles to some south coast holiday town and discover I didn’t bring my power socket adapter, or that the town has the “other” charging station, with the different voltage or different shaped plug…
THIS IS A GREAT IDEA REALLY REALLY HOPE IT HAPPENS.!!!
A fully electric car would be better than Hydrogen. Plus whatever the outcome the car needs to be able to “fill up” at a Service Station. BP, Caltex, Shell whatever so long as it is available to everyone.
Where to by shares ???
Electric is the go. Infrastructure in Aus will catch up with the rest of the world when we have a foreword thinking government. (Save our utes.) Look at Europe and even China miles ahead of us.
Hydrogen has a long way to go before it’s viable.