Rolls-Royce Considering Hydrogen Power For Future EV Cars

Rolls-Royce's first all-electric model, the Rolls-Royce Spectre.

However, once the technology is mature enough to be widely commercialised, Rolls-Royce is considering a different path to electrification that would involve switching from battery power to hydrogen fuel cells.

According to Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, the brand's strategy leaves the door open for future consideration of hydrogen, as reported by Autocar.

Rolls-Royce revealed that they’ve received so many orders for the Spectre.

Müller-Ötvös reacted to the idea that his company's massive, heavy luxury cars, known for their smooth V12 engines, could benefit from hydrogen combustion technology.

“I think a hydrogen combustion engine is nothing I would in any way look into because that was already tested years ago,” he said, remembering how the parent company BMW tested the technology in the early 2000s using a modified 7 Series.

“This is not the most efficient way to use hydrogen. If hydrogen will be used in the future, then fuel cells it is. And fuel cells are nothing different from a battery. It is just how you get the energy,” he added.

He also went on to say, “And why not? I would say so when the time is right for us, and when the technology is so much more advanced, that it is definitely something we would pursue as Rolls-Royce. Why not? We might exit batteries, and we might enter into fuel cells.”
Müller-Ötvös comments coincide with the launch of BMW's limited-edition iX5 Hydrogen, a fuel cell prototype that uses cells supplied by Toyota, a supporter of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Only a few iX5 Hydrogen models will be sold, but BMW CEO Oliver Zipse stated that their introduction is symbolic of "the technical maturity of this type of drive system and underscoring its potential for the future."

Müller-Ötvös agrees that the technology has a future, especially for the average Rolls-Royce, which isn't typically used for long-distance driving. Despite this, Müller-tvös acknowledges that hydrogen refuelling is difficult and cannot be done at home. Customers of Rolls-Royce, on the other hand, have enormous garage spaces that allow for the installation of chargers in both their homes and business buildings.

Furthermore, he stated that the Spectre is not many of their clients' first electric vehicle, and thus many of them already have charging stations installed at home. Rolls-Royce is "watching closely" for advances in hydrogen fueling infrastructure in order to assess the viability of hydrogen propulsion.