BMW’s hydrogen program manager hopes to put hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) into production within a few years, pending the brand’s upcoming decision on the future of its hydrogen program.
The Bavarian automaker is currently introducing its iX5 hydrogen development vehicle globally with hopes of bringing a production FCEV to market by the end of the decade.
But there’s no guarantee you’ll see a hydrogen-powered BMW in showrooms, as the brand has yet to commit to offering hydrogen-powered passenger cars with engines. A decision on the technology will be made later this year.
However, BMW’s general manager of hydrogen technology, Dr. Jürgen Guldner, said all stages are ready for the commercial production car to launch in 2030.
“We haven’t decided which vehicle we will choose yet, but we are prepared to launch a vehicle within this decade,” Dr. Guldner said. Automotive expert.
“Once we make the decision, we have to develop the car and it will take several years, then we will make a decision on which markets are ready to access the technology.”
BMW won’t reveal any information about the potential first hydrogen vehicle, but it’s feasible that the iX5 development car could go into production.
Based on X5 The SUV, iX5 is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain consisting of two carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) hydrogen tanks that can hold up to 6kg of hydrogen under a pressure of 700 bar; fuel cell with capacity of 125kW; and an electric motor and a battery pack.
The system’s total output is 295kW, while refueling takes less than five minutes and BMW claims a driving range of more than 500km.
If not a production version of the iX5, the first hydrogen BMW is still likely to be an SUV. Dr. Guldner confirmed that the powertrain featured in the iX5 development vehicle could also be carried over to other models.
Don’t expect one that runs on hydrogen 1 Series or 5 lines any time soon, as model-wide deployment is unlikely until the end of the next decade.
Dr Guldner added: “Deployment will take place later in the 2030s because this is a long-term project.
“We have been working as BMW on hydrogen for 40 years… it is not unusual for us for something to take several decades.
“We were just looking for the right time to launch.”
In terms of where the BMW FCEV will be sold, there are a number of markets that have the infrastructure and/or ambition to support hydrogen-powered passenger cars.
A network of hydrogen refueling stations exists in the US state of California, while the EU mandates the installation of hydrogen refueling infrastructure at all urban nodes and spaced 200km apart, mandatory starting from 2030.
There are fewer than 10 operating hydrogen refueling stations scattered across Australia, but Dr Guldner sees a lot of potential Down Under.
“Hydrogen is ideal for Australia because you have a lot of solar and wind power that you could use to produce a lot of hydrogen for export, but why not use it too?” Dr. Guldner said.
“You also have long travel distances and urban areas where charging on a large scale can be an issue.
“All the ingredients are there.
“All countries with adequate infrastructure are potential markets for us. There are a lot of places that already have infrastructure like California, Europe will have infrastructure, Japan, Korea, China and there are a lot of countries interested in building infrastructure like Australia.”
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