Rolls-Royce is exploring the possibility of using hydrogen fuel cell powertrains for its future electric cars, according to CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. The new Rolls-Royce Spectre, the company’s first EV, made its European debut at Villa d’Este in Italy last week. It will enter production in September with a 120kWh battery, one of the largest fitted to any production car, and a claimed range of over 300 miles. However, Müller-Ötvös believes that the unique positioning of a Rolls-Royce and the specialised use case of the average owner opens up the possibility of considering hydrogen as an alternative fuel in the future.
Hydrogen fuel cells are not new technology, but they have yet to be commercialised at scale. BMW, Rolls-Royce’s parent company, trialled hydrogen combustion technology in the early 2000s with a specially adapted 7 Series. However, Müller-Ötvös dismissed this option as inefficient and suggested that fuel cells were the way forward. He compared fuel cells to batteries, saying that they were nothing different from a battery; it was just how you get the energy. Müller-Ötvös believes that when the technology is advanced enough, Rolls-Royce might exit batteries and enter into fuel cells.
BMW recently launched the low-volume iX5 Hydrogen, a fuel cell prototype that uses cells supplied by Toyota. The model will be sold in small numbers only, but BMW boss Oliver Zipse said its launch demonstrated “the technical maturity of this type of drive system and underscoring its potential for the future”. Müller-Ötvös agrees that the technology has a place in the future, particularly when it comes to the average Rolls-Royce car, which traditionally is not used for long-distance travel on a frequent basis.
However, one obstacle remains: hydrogen charging cannot be done at home, whereas battery EVs can be charged at home or in office buildings. Rolls-Royce is “watching closely” for developments in hydrogen fuelling infrastructure to evaluate the feasibility of hydrogen propulsion. Many of its clients already have charging installed at home because Spectre is not their first electric car.
Incorporating hydrogen fuel cell powertrains into future electric cars would be a significant shift for Rolls-Royce, but Müller-Ötvös believes that the company’s unique positioning and specialised use case make it a possibility. As the technology advances and hydrogen fuelling infrastructure develops, Rolls-Royce will continue to evaluate the feasibility of hydrogen propulsion.