After JLR, could we see Tata Motors foray into hydrogen cars?

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has for quite some time been working on a prototype hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) based on the Land Rover Defender with testing set to begin soon... and so, it could be possible that even Tata Motors is thinking of entering the arena of hydrogen cars with its fleet.

 

The company had said that the FCEV concept is part of JLR’s strategy to achieve zero tailpipe emissions by 2036, and net-zero emission in its supply chain, products and operations by 2039. 

The hydrogen car may be based on the
Land Rover Defender -- Photo: Landrover.in.

The Reimagine strategy was announced by Tata Motors a few years ago and all these are part of it.

 

FCEVs generate electricity from hydrogen to propel an electric motor and they complement battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Hydrogen-powered FCEVs come with high-energy density where refuelling is done rapidly (in just a few hours).

 

There is hardly any loss of range in low temperatures, and thus, these vehicles are suitable for extreme (low and high tempratures) climates as well as for a longer range compared to electric vehicles (EVs).

The number of FCEVs worldwide has nearly doubled in the last four years while hydrogen refuelling stations have gone up by over 20 per cent, as per JLR.

It has been predicted that by 2030, hydrogen-powered FCEVs may touch a whopping 10 million globally and there would be 10,000 refuelling stations worldwide by then.

Jaguar Land Rover’s engineering project is called Project Zeus, and is partly funded by the UK government-backed Advanced Propulsion Centre.

It would pave the way for engineers to comprehend as to how a hydrogen powertrain can be optimised to deliver the high performance and capability expected by its customers. This includes parameters like range to refuelling, and towing to off-road ability.

The new Defender FCEV started testing from the end of 2021 in the UK to check its major attributes such as off-road capability and fuel consumption.

 

To take Project Zeus forward, JLR teamed up with research partners like Delta Motorsport, AVL, Marelli Automotive Systems and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre to develop and create this FCEV prototype.

 

Head of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Jaguar Land Rover, Ralph Clague, said, “We are confident that hydrogen fuel has a major role to play in future powertrains across the transport industry, globally. 

Alongside battery electric vehicles (BEVs), it offers another zero-tailpipe emission solution for Jaguar Land Rover’s world class vehicles.

The work done with our Project Zeus partners will help us in our journey to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2039. This comes as we gear up for the next generation of zero-tailpipe emission vehicles.”

E-Vroooom’s view

So, with JLR getting into FCEVs, it seems that its owner Tata Motors is ready for a parallel play, that is, besides getting deep into EVs, it may also compete with other green fuel contenders, and maybe, the company wants to be the undisputed leader in the green fuel space, and could start rolling out hydrogen cars from its stable sometime in the near future.