An Aussie-made hydrogen tractor could be a reality

In a move that no one saw coming, vehicle manufacturing company H2X Australia has announced its official launch today with its sights set on producing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on local soil.

One of its prototype models is the Snowy SUV with a 60kW fuel cell and an overall power output of 190kW.

But passenger cars are not the only weapons in the company’s arsenal, with H2X Australia revealing it is also developing hydrogen powered heavy vehicles such as trucks, buses and even tractors.

Not much has been revealed about the tractor except that it will be based on the smaller platform that the Snowy SUV is built on, according to @AuManufacturing.

If all goes to plan, H2X will be the first company to manufacture farm tractors on Australian soil since 1986, when International Harvester closed its factory doors in Geelong, VIC.

H2X Australia’s initial base will be Port Kembla near Wollongong on the NSW south coast, which is a deep-water port and also the location of a green hydrogen project.

“Today we launch our company which not only demonstrates the advanced technology and engineering capabilities of Australia in the clean energy arena but also provides a real clean alternative in terms of transportation,” said H2X CEO, Brendan Norman.

“With the development of many Green Energy projects in Australia at the moment we have a unique opportunity to bring a significant manufacturing operation back into the country.”

While Snowy was the first vehicle to be revealed to the public, H2X said it will instead be releasing heavy vehicles first in the form of buses and trucks. The heavy vehicles will be built on a second, larger platform that can accommodate two fuel cell units to bring power output up to 300 to 550kW.

H2X anticipates the heavy vehicles will go into production as soon as July 2021.

The H2X line-up will be powered by a hybrid powertrain leveraging kinetic energy through battery and ultra-capacitor technology with strong focus on hydrogen. In its media release issued today, H2X said the system can vary between power sources depending on the journey.

The CEO of H2X Brendan Norman, an Australian former BMW and Volkswagen executive, said the company was “focussed on reaching market leading volumes by 2025”.

The first H2X vehicles will be based on an imported chassis from a third party paired with a powertrain already in use in Asia. They will be mated with locally manufactured bodies and interior parts. The goal is 80 per cent localisation by 2025.

With no publicly available hydrogen refuelling network in Australia at the moment, selling a vehicle using hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is certainly a challenge. That might explain why H2X’s initial focus will be on fleet vehicles that can access “renewable energy hubs”.

But H2X seems intent on helping overcome hydrogen supply issues. Its release referred to projects the company was already involved with for rail, marine, stationery power and heavy vehicles that will soon come to market.

“This will give significant support to the hydrogen production industry,” the release stated.

Key backing for H2X in its start-up phase is coming from former motor racing driver Ken Mathews’ renewable energy company Denzo PL and Elvin Group Renewables, best known for environmentally progressive concrete production.

Behind the wheel of the ambitious company are several of Australia’s most revered automotive industry veterans. Joining CEO Brendan Norman is Chief Design Officer, Chris Reitz who has worked for the likes of Audi, VW, Nissan and Fiat; and powertrain chief Peter Zienau who worked at General Motors. Chief Technical Officer Ian Thompson’s background includes Lotus and Aston Martin and Chief of corporate strategy is former Toyota employee Alan Marder.

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