Chinese hydrogen FCEV cars coming to Oz
Grove teams up with ClickDrive to sell 1000km fuel-cell cars in Australia by 2020Japanese and Korean hydrogen fuel-cell cars like the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo will soon have some Chinese competition in the form of Grove cars.
Chinese-based Grove Hydrogen Automotive revealed the Grove Granite hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) at this month's Shanghai motor show -- a flashy sports sedan featuring bold styling cues such as suicide rear doors.
The Pininfarina-designed Grove Granite is a potential precursor to production vehicles that will be available in Australia – and supported by hydrogen filling stations – by 2020, says the company.
Grove today announced a deal with Sydney-registered company ClickDrive to begin distributing cars in Australia and New Zealand from next year – although more recent reports suggest the launch will occur in early 2021.
The ambitious plan will see hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles, likely in the forms of taxis and delivery vans, either sold or leased to Aussie customers with a driving range in excess of 1000km from a single tank.
Unlike battery-only EVs, hydrogen EVs can be refueled much more quickly -- 'within minutes', according to Grove -- making them more like a fossil fuel-powered car but without the exhaust emissions or noise.
That said, hydrogen filling stations require more complicated and expensive infrastructure compared to EV fast-chargers, given the fuel's volatility.
As Chinese government subsidies switch from battery EVs to hydrogen fuel-cell EVs, Grove is planning a significant domestic and international rollout.
"With both Australia and New Zealand strongly moving toward the Hydrogen economy we have a perfect target to establish a key development market for Grove," said Professor Hao Yiguo, CEO and founder of Grove Hydrogen Automotive Company Ltd.
ClickDrive founder Jason Pecotic, who has worked in the automotive industry for 25 years, said the cars will be distributed here via a "unique futuristic proposition, which perfectly fits the ClickDrive strategy encompassing online distribution."
As well as confirming a 'digital foundation' for its sales/leasing model, the Grove-ClickDrive co-operation will see the companies "work together on legal and environmental optimisation and to adapt the cars to customer demands".
The news should please Toyota and Hyundai, which have been pushing the hydrogen barrow pretty strongly in the last few years and are eagerly awaiting more filling stations.
Grove was founded by parent company IGE (Institute of Geosciences and Environment), a major hydrogen producer in China. IGE currently manufacturers hydrogen fuel via an extraction method using industrial waste.
It remains to be seen whether the company plans to build filling stations here but Grove and ClickDrive promise to have "a robust, customer-focused network for hydrogen distribution".
Currently Hyundai has a filling station at its HQ in Sydney, the South Australian government is planning another for a fleet of buses and Moreland Council in Victoria is expected to have a hydrogen fuel station up and running this year.
The ACT government is also looking at a Canberran hydrogen fuel station, as are a number of universities.
Depending on the size of the Grove FCEV's fuel tank, it is expected to cost between $80 and $120 per fill.
"We have committed to a future which embraces the coming hydrogen revolution. Our team, working closely with Grove, is creating a market proposition configured directly to both Australia and New Zealand markets," said Pecotic.
There's a lot of Chinese capital behind the project and both companies are serious about creating a new hydrogen economy, at first with commercial vehicles such as taxis and vans, then with passenger vehicles like Grove Granite sports sedan pictured here.
Battery EVs have failed to inspire the imagination of Australian car buyers, which may or may not help the FCEV cause.
It's understood that ClickDrive will seek to kick off its masterplan in eastcoast Australian -- Melbourne and Sydney -- initially.
"Our cars are developed with a global vision, and having an experienced partner like ClickDrive working with us from the start in markets which offer the unique geographic and thermal conditions of Australia and New Zealand enhance this dramatically," added Yigou.
Can hydrogen FCEVs succeed where EVs have not? Have your say in the comments below.
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