Jaguar Land Rover is one of several automakers who have stated ambitions to phase out the combustion engine over the next few years. In the long term, the carmaker intends to achieve zero emissions by 2036, with the ultimate aim of becoming CO2-neutral across the supply chain, operations, and products by 2039.
JLR is also devoting time and resources to the advancement of fuel cell technologies. It is now working on a hydrogen Defender prototype that will be on the road in the UK later this year.
The study to develop a zero-emissions off-roader is part of the company's "Initiative Zeus" engineering project, which is partially sponsored by the government-backed Advanced Propulsion Center.
Although technical details have not yet been disclosed, the video below depicts a Defender with two high-pressure hydrogen tanks surrounding a battery pack that supports the fuel cell and collects the energy created while braking. The fuel cell is installed where the combustion engine would typically be, coupled with an air inlet that pulls the air required to combine with hydrogen in the fuel cell.
The sole emission from the exhaust is clean water, which is the product of the chemical reaction in the fuel cell. According to Land Rover, a hydrogen-powered vehicle offers several advantages, including quick recharging and little range loss in colder areas.
Infrastructure is still an issue, but the IEA predicts 10,000 hydrogen refueling stations by the end of the decade.