Call us cynical, if you will, but we can’t rise to the level of press excitement generated by the news that Gippsland-based H2X Global is planning to launch a Ford Ranger based, fuel-cell ute in early 2022.

For a start, fuel-cell vehicles rely on 100-percent pure hydrogen gas as their fuel. It’s currently very expensive and scarce. There are only four hydrogen outlets in Australia; in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

Secondly, the Ranger is being updated for 2022, so H2X Global must hope that’s its fuel-cell kit will fit into the new ute envelope.

Thirdly, projected RRPs for the H2X range are $189,000-$250,000. That’s an awful lot of money for a ute that can’t go bush.

OTA understands that H2X Global claims to have 250 orders in hand and has begun a capital-raising round, partnering with Barclay Pierce Capital. 

Caveat emptor.