BMW Group to start producing fuel cell systems

As reported by the BMW Group on Wednesday, August 31, by starting the production of fuel cell systems developed in-house, it is taking the next step toward sustainable electromobility.

The ground-breaking combination of fuel cell and high-performance battery in the vehicle offers an intriguing carbon-free alternative to the electric drive forms already in place, in a system that is suitable for day-to-day use.

In doing so, the company is providing another sustainable, worthwhile drive option – meaning more emissions-free options in everyday mobility. The advantages of this alternative technology are clear.

“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”, said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

He added: “By commencing small-scale production of fuel cells today, we are demonstrating the technical maturity of this type of drive system and underscoring its potential for the future”.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is used in the new BMW iX5 Hydrogen, which will be built in a small series in 2022 and used worldwide for test and demonstration purposes. The vehicle impressively demonstrates the major leap that BMW Group has made over recent years in the area of fuel cells.

This was also confirmed by Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG for Development: “Our many years of research and development work have enabled us to get the very most out of hydrogen technology. We have managed to more than double the fuel cell’s continuous output in the second-generation fuel cell in the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, while weight and size have both decreased drastically”.

The innovative fuel cell technology of the small-series vehicle offers continually high performance of 125 kW/170 hp. In combination with an electric engine from the fifth generation of BMW eDrive technology and a high-performance battery developed especially for this vehicle, the powertrain of this vehicle brings 275 kW/374 hp to the road.

For the small series, the development team has integrated the powerful drive system – which consists of two hydrogen tanks, the fuel cell, and the electric engine – into the existing architecture of the BMW X5.

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