INEOS AUTOMOTIVE: Sir Jim Ratcliffe delays EV debut
Photo credit: X-Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Ineos Automotive is delaying the launch of its electric Fusilier jeep owing to “lack of long-term clarity” from the government.
The car company owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe had initially intended to include a range extender, a small petrol-fuelled combustion engine which would, when necessary, replenish the SUV’s battery charge.
But this innovation could also breach the 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol vehicles, added to which Labour has pledged that it would bring the date forward to 2030, putting the Fusilier’s planned release further into doubt.
Sir Jim, aged 72, whose fortune diminished slightly this year to £23.519 billion (€27.78 billion), is now ranked as the UK’s fourth-richest person, with a fortune based on Ineos, one of the world’s largest petrochemical companies. He also co-owns Manchester United football club.
Created as an electrified edition of Ineos Automotive’s Grenadier SUV, the Fusilier would be built as an all-electric vehicle or a hybrid with the added range extender.
The battery-only Fusilier was designed to have a range of at least 400 kilometres, its Ineos designers announced, while the version with the range extender would be equipped with a 270-kilometre battery supplemented by the petrol engine.
Ratcliffe pointed out during the vehicle’s February launch that the addition of the small combustion engine was introduced to mitigate “range anxiety,” but according to a recent email to Bloomberg, the billionaire has decided to shelve his plans.
“Reluctant consumer uptake” was partly to blame, he told Bloomberg, together with “industry uncertainty around tariffs, timings and taxation.”
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Originally from the UK, Linda is based in Valenca and is a reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering local news. Got a news story you want to share?
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