Following four years of development, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen has entered a pilot fleet of less than 100 vehicles, as the technology begins to be trialled.
The fleet, which is being deployed internationally for demonstration and trial purposes, will see a hydrogen fuel cell system being shown. The hydrogen needed to supply the fuel cell is stored in two 700-bar tanks made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic.
Together these hold almost six kilograms of hydrogen, enough to give the vehicle a range of 313 miles. Filling up the hydrogen tanks only takes three to four minutes.
The BMW Group sources the individual fuel cells from the Toyota Motor Corporation, with the two companies creating a partnership on such systems since 2013.
The BMW Group is also one of the first German carmakers to have joined the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign” led by the Science Based Targets initiative, and is committed to achieving the goal of full climate neutrality throughout the value chain.
The next step in this process involves the BMW Group’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions per vehicle over its full lifecycle, through supply chain, production and use phase, by at least 40% by 2030 compared with 2019, and it views FCEV technology expressly as a potential addition to the drive technology used by battery-electric vehicles.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is being built in the BMW Group’s pilot plant at its Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich with specialists in hydrogen technology, vehicle development and initial assembly of new models working closely together to integrate the drive and energy storage technology.
Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said: “Hydrogen is a versatile energy source that has a key role to play in the energy transition process and therefore in climate protection.
“After all, it is one of the most efficient ways of storing and transporting renewable energies. We should use this potential to also accelerate the transformation of the mobility sector. Hydrogen is the missing piece in the jigsaw when it comes to emission-free mobility. One technology on its own will not be enough to enable climate-neutral mobility worldwide.”
Image courtesy of BMW
