BMW has commenced production of fuel cells at its Munich factory which will be used in future hydrogen vehicles, the first of which will be the iX5 SUV.
BMW says that a limited run of 100 iX5 Hydrogen vehicles will enter production before the end of the year, mainly for technical testing and demonstration purposes. These will determine whether or not we’ll see mass-manufacturing of a hydrogen-powered BMW in the near future.
At its core, the iX5 Hydrogen rides on the existing X5 platform and features a hydrogen fuel cell that generates 125kW of power for the front-mounted electric motor, which is capable of producing 275kW.
The fuel cell will power both BMW’s fifth-gen eDrive e-motor and the onboard battery pack that will soak up any surplus energy created by the hydrogen fuel cell.
Interestingly, BMW has tapped Toyota on the shoulder to supply the iX5 Hydrogen with the individual fuel cells necessary for the chemical reaction that combines hydrogen with oxygen to create electricity.
Toyota is, of course, one of the pioneers of hydrogen fuel cells powering production cars, with the Mirai making its first debut way back in 2014.
The agreement states that Toyota will provide the hydrogen cell fuel stacks, while BMW will install them into the iX5 Hydrogen at its Munich production line.
BMW says that winter testing in Sweden has given the company some confidence that its iX5 Hydrogen can keep up with everyday drivability, even in extremely cold temperatures. CEO Oliver Zipse said:
“As a versatile energy source, hydrogen has a key role to play on the road to climate neutrality. And it will also gain substantially in importance as far as personal mobility is concerned. We think hydrogen-powered vehicles are ideally placed technologically to fit alongside battery-electric vehicles and complete the electric mobility picture.”
