Glickenhaus reveals Tesla-baiting fuel cell pick-up
The Nikola Badger is gone but hydrogen fuel cell pick-ups continues to have their fans, with US boutique brand Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus the latest to reveal a concept.
Glickenhaus is perhaps best known as the minnow taking on mighty Toyota in the sports car world championship, but this is something altogether different.
Based on its V8-powered Baja Boot off-roader, this dual-cab gets the imaginative title Glickenhaus Zero Emission Hydrogen Fuel Cell Boot Pickup.
EXCLUSIVE REPORT: EV ute overload: The electric pickups coming soon
The American firm owned by billionaire movie producer Jim Glickenhaus says it plans to build a concept of the FCEV later this year.
The first objective is to go desert racing and then build a production version, Glickenhaus says.
The arrival of the hydrogen Baja Boot ties in with a challenge laid down by Jim Glickenhaus to Elon Musk to have a showdown between a Boot FCEV and the Tesla Cybertruck in the 2023 Baja 1000.
Glickenahus was miffed when Musk described hydrogen tech as “mind-bogglingly stupid”.
“We are thinking about offering a Hydrogen version of our Boot and racing it at The Baja 1000 in 2023. This would be a great time for you to join the race with your Cyber Truck,” Glickenhaus tweeted to Musk.
So far, no reply.
Glickenhaus estimates the production Boot FCEV would cost about US$100,000 ($135,000) and the racer about US$500,000 ($678,000).
Key performance targets include a five minute refuelling time and a 1000km range courtesy of three hydrogen tanks mounted behind the driver and front-passenger and in the tray.
Obviously, that’s the layout for desert racing rather than an eventual production version.
It will also have at least two e-motors to provide all-wheel drive. No power outputs have been quoted as yet.
Glickenahaus says its wants the hydrogen-fuelled Boot to also act as a portable generator.
The plan is for the road-going version to also have roughly the same gross vehicle mass rating and towing capacity as a Chevrolet Silverado. If that’s referencing the 1500, which is logical, that’s respectively around 3300kg and 4500kg braked.
If it does get to production the Glickenhaus would not only have the Cybertruck to contend with but a while slew of other electrified pick-ups.
This is the second iteration of a dual-cab FCEV Glickenhaus has teased us with this year, the first – dubbed the SCG 010 Zero – coming last February.
The latest versions has slightly revised styling but clearly retains the off-road racing capability that has been shown off by the V8-powered buggy version of the Boot that has twice won its class in the gruelling Baja 1000.
