Jaguar Land Rover ‘Project Zeus’ aligned for H2 powered vehicles

KUALA LUMPUR: When it comes to alternative sources of power for vehicles’ engines, to the mind of the people, the fuel cell battery presently lags behind. However, experts believe that hydrogen fuel cell cars will catch up. Like pure electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles also use electricity to power an electric motor, but they produce electricity using a fuel cell powered by hydrogen, instead of getting electricity from a battery. 

With the British officials passing an act that would ban the sale of internal combustion-engined vehicles by 2035, several automakers are now developing plans for more sustainable vehicles, and Jaguar Land Rover is one of them. 

The company is developing a hydrogen fuel cell SUV as part of a £73.5 million (RM 402 million) government-funded scheme that intends to reduce carbon emissions in the automotive sector. The new effort is internally codenamed as Project Zeus.

Under this, JLR will be working in association with three partners in the UK; Marelli Automotive Systems, UKBIC (The UK Battery Industrialization Center), and Delta Motorsport, all these companies have had success in developing components for alternative fuel vehicles. All the partners together aim to evaluate, analyze, and produce hydrogen fuel cell technology. 

Commenting on Project Zeus, JLR engineering chief Nick Rogers said: “We’re looking for the right propulsion systems – ones that see minimum interference to the environment. Hydrogen is an ideal application for the bigger vehicles [in our line-up>, because the bigger the car, you get diminishing returns [when using> battery packs.

“The amount of energy you can store in a battery for a given amount of weight means you’re in a position where you’re making the cars that are so heavy; they’re using [a lot> of energy just to cart that heavy weight about,” he added.

The company has started developing new hydrogen fuel-cell technology for its flagship limousines and large SUVs. Third-gen Range Rover Evoque is likely to be the first vehicle to receive the zero-emission tech later this decade.

According to Autocar, the ‘Project Zeus’ has been given a deadline to introduce the first fuel-cell hydrogen-powered vehicle by 2025.

Meanwhile, Jaguar continues to focus on battery-powered vehicles, given their smaller size and higher road bias - however, it may include the technology in the upcoming F-Pace.

JLR is not the first luxury carmaker to venture into hydrogen fuel cell technology; other players who have already explored this avenue are Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.

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