Cars built by Australian hands could be on the road as soon as 2022.
A new company formed by an ex-BMW and Volkswagen executive is planning to manufacture a hydrogen-powered SUV in Port Kembla, New South Wales, according to AuManufacturing.
The last car to be built in Australia was a Holden Commodore, which rolled off the production line on October 20, 2017 in South Australia. That could change if H2X gets its way.
The H2X Australia Snowy is a mid-sized SUV with a 60kW hydrogen fuel-cell and an electric motor with 190kW of power.
That would make it a logical rival for the Hyundai Nexo, which packs a fuel-cell powertrain in a body slightly larger than that of a Tucson.
Alongside the Toyota Mirai, the Nexo is one of only two hydrogen fuel-cell passenger cars in Australia at the moment, although neither are offered through dealerships.
According to the the AuManufacturing report, however, the first products from H2X will be heavy vehicles.
Although the company hasn’t confirmed what those heavy vehicles will be, development of hydrogen-powered long-haul trucks is continuing apace overseas, led by companies such as Nikola.
It seems likely at least one of the fuel-cell vehicles from H2X will follow a similar path.
Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in Australia is limited at the moment. Toyota is currently building a multi-million dollar station at its old manufacturing site in Altona, Victoria, but other options are scarce.
H2X has a staff of 70, with plans to grow to 170 before the end of 2020.
CarExpert is currently chasing an interview with H2X’s boss. Stay tuned.
