Australia has been making constant efforts for embracing hydrogen as a fuel. The country has a national hydrogen strategy in place under which it recently earmarked $300 million for ¡®Advancing Hydrogen Fund¡¯. So it was only natural for the private sector to react. Not long after, up comes an Australian fuel-cell vehicle start-up.
H2X is a company from New South Wales that is planning to come up with a series of fuel cell vehicles. It has even showcased a rendering of its first hydrogen fuel cell SUV and is calling it Snowy. Due to be launched in 2022, technical specifications of the SUV have already been decided upon.
H2X Snowy will be powered by a 190 kW electric motor attached to its front axle. The claimed acceleration is 100 kmph in 6.9 seconds.
A fuel cell produced by ElringKlinger will produce 60 kW of power and will source the hydrogen through a 5 kilograms capacity tank. The SUV is expected to have a range of 650 kilometres.
The company borrowed the name of the SUV from Snowy Mountains also known as "The Snowies", which coincidentally also have a hydroelectric power project. The Snowy SUV is not the only vehicle decided upon though.
Post the launch of the SUV in 2022, the company is also planning to produce other hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, including a taxi and a tractor that will work on a platform using two fuel-cells. The plan is to produce 3,700 vehicles in the first year of production and by 2025, target 20,000 to 25,000 vehicle units.
For this, H2X will be building its production plant in Port Kembla, New South Wales. Having a port at the location will facilitate transportation of raw materials and produced units alike.
In an interview with The Driven, H2X CEO Brendan Norman who has had a history of working with Audi, VW and BMW said, ¡°with the development of many green energy projects in Australia at the moment, we have a unique opportunity to bring a significant manufacturing operation back to the country.¡±
Norman even claimed to have substantial funding for the first couple of vehicles. With the backing of Elvin Group - a major producer of concrete in Australia and Denzo Pty Ltd, a firm linked to solar farm projects in Queensland, the startup might just be the next big thing in the Australian automotive space in the coming years.