An electric version of the Ineos Grenadier has always been on the cards; last summer, Ineos said it planned to test battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell electric versions of the new 4×4, this summer we got images of the FCEV prototype (pictured) out on the trail. The BEV is due in production early next year, Ineos Automotive CEO Lynn Calder spoke to Australian outlet Carsales about it. She said the off-roader is “going to be a skateboard-style platform — a monocoque is really the only way to go when you’re converting a Grenadier into an electric vehicle.” Carsales also credited a company source for news that that range will extend to 400 kilometers on a charge, and the unit’s being designed to be “unbeatable” off-road with a focus on hardcore work duties.
A skateboard chassis works well enough off-road for the Rivian R1T, to put it mildly. Furthermore, it’s thought likely the electric trail hound will sit on a version of the FM29 platform that Magna developed with Fisker, the supplier and the electric automaker proving the “FM” in the platform name. That would benefit Magna and Ineos, and could benefit Fisker if the tech overlap is enough for Fisker to earn royalties. Although the Ocean looks quite a bit stubbier than the Grenadier in photos, Fisker’s product is less than four inches shorter than the Ineos. It’s not clear what that will mean for the length of the electric Ineos. The UK automaker said it was looking at “a smaller version of the Grenadier” as a BEV, and stories have said the battery-powered trim would enter the lineup under the Grenadier. Carsales wrote that what’s coming could be a two-door.
As for the range, with Calder speaking to an Australian outlet, we expect the 400-km figure is on the WLTP cycle. That means 249 miles in America-speak before the EPA runs its more punishing test cycle. Since it’s early days, we’ll wait for a projected U.S. range figure. By the time it arrives and depending on its size, door count, and price, it could be competing with EV pickups with close to 400 miles of EPA-rated range. The good bit is that the FM29 platform provides the Fisker Ocean with a 360-mile EPA-rated range and the most expensive Ocean trim, the Extreme, starts at about $70,000, which are useful building blocks for luring the U.S. market.
