BMW Group issued a press release the company has started production of hydrogen fuel cell systems for its next-generation BMW iX5 hydrogen energy model, and the first vehicles will be tested on the road later this year.
Manufactured at BMW’s hydrogen competence center in Munich, the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain includes a fuel cell, two hydrogen tanks, and a fifth-generation BMW eDrive electric motor.
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BMW will use a single fuel cell supplied by Toyota, with which BMW has partnered since 2013 on hydrogen powertrains. Oliver Zipse, Chairman of BMW, said: “As a versatile energy source, hydrogen plays a key role on the road to climate neutrality.
And, in terms of personal mobility, its importance will also increase significantly. We believe that Hydrogen-powered vehicles are technically ideally positioned to go hand-in-hand with battery electric vehicles to complete the electric mobility landscape. By starting small-scale production of fuel cells today, we demonstrate the technological maturity of this drive system and underscore its future potential.”
The BMW iX5 hydrogen fuel cell system produces a total of 368bhp brake horsepower, of which about 167bhp comes from the custom hydrogen fuel cell system. BMW says its hydrogen powertrain will provide “a unique form of drivetrain for the premium segment”.
The BMW iX5 hydrogen fuel cell was tested in winter conditions in Sweden earlier this year and utilizes a number of new technologies including a high-speed, turbo-powered compressor and a high-pressure coolant pump. BMW said that after years of research and development, it has greatly improved the efficiency of fuel cell systems.
Frank Weber, a Member of the BMW Board of Directors, said, “In the second generation of the fuel cell in the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, we have managed to more than double the continuous output of the fuel cell while significantly reducing weight and size. ”
