Ford Ranger fuel-cell ute revealed

Australian hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle start-up H2X has re-emerged with plans to base its first vehicle on the Ford Ranger and have examples testing before the end of the year.

H2X launched in a blaze of publicity 12 months ago with ambitious plans for Australian production of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) at a new plant in Port Kembla in NSW, starting around mid-2021.

But a funding shortfall has slowed those plans dramatically.

The company has now been rebranded from H2X Australia to H2X Global with a fresh injection of funding from Australian renewable energy investor Liberty Energy Capital.

Start-up funder Elvin Group is no longer involved with the project and its boss Samuel Blackadder is no longer on the board. Auto industry veteran Kevin McCann has also departed.

Ambitiously, H2X Global CEO Brendan Norman forecasts “five or six digit volumes of production” of H2X models within “five to 10 years”.

Named the Warrego after a river in Queensland, the T6 Ford Ranger-based FCEV ute was originally intended only as an internal engineering development vehicle.

Norman, who also ran H2X Australia, has revealed to carsales that the vehicle generated interest from customers here and overseas and that prompted limited production.

“This converted pick-up gives us the chance to do some testing, but also gives us a great chance to put it in the hands of our partners and then be able to have running vehicles on the roads they will be operated,” he said.

“They will take two to five vehicles each … and that will enable us to gain real running data.”

A H2X Global investor presentation on its website says there are “orders underway” for the Netherlands, Australia and Malaysia.

Norman told carsales that up to five European countries would take examples of the Warrego.

Some Warrego development is happening internationally because of a European government order, Norman said, but a local partner in Australia will start conversions in September, demonstrations start in November and sales in April 2022.

Fitted with H2X’s fuel-cell powertrain with an initial output of around 70kW (it may go higher later), the Warrego will be available in multiple body styles including dual-cab and as a 4x2 and 4x4.

The H2X Global website claims a 1500kg payload, far superior to any standard Ranger.

H2X Global says it will cover the Warrego with its own warranty. Ford has no involvement with the program.

According to H2X Global’s schedule, Warrego will be followed on sale by a light van and taxi called the Darling.

These models will also be marketed overseas, especially in Europe where there is a growing hydrogen refuelling network and a concerted push to get petrol and diesel vehicles out of city centres and eventually off the road altogether.

The Darling will be based on a new architecture that will later underpin an all-new pick-up and an SUV. This will be the first model aimed at private buyers.

“The SUV is designed for the general public and we are going to need a strong [hydrogen refuelling] network before people are going to be comfortable with it,” Norman said.

“Commercial vehicles tend to be in flocks … so the infrastructure is a lot easier to find.”

Plans to develop heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses with FCEV tech are no longer a priority, while Norman says Port Kembla is now one of a number of possible vehicle manufacturing sites in Australia. H2X is also looking for a fuel-cell stack manufacturing site.

“We do have a couple of compelling discussions in other states in Australia,” said Norman. “Where we do have customer activities is where we will put our operations.

“We are also considering some overseas assembly locations … but in general we do see the heart of the vehicle coming from Australia and that’s the target, all things going well.”

Norman admitted the company was up to nine months behind its original schedule. He said COVID and the battle to gain additional funding had caused that delay.

“It’s been an interesting ride going through the fundraising process over the last 12 months,” he said. “That got a lot more difficult than it needed to be.

“We had some activities from overseas with people wanting to come in but then an Australian group Liberty Venture Capital have decided to come on-board to help us through the first rounds and get us moving.

“We are legitimately seven to nine months behind where we wanted to be in terms of deliveries.

“However, the driving force behind us being able to do what we are doing is the delivery of hydrogen and at the moment when we look at the hydrogen products we are not behind them.”

Before it launches the Warrego, H2X Global’s first product in the market will be a modular fuel-cell generator set that is due to start rolling out in September.