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“I think you’re burning Huat!” When we receive an invitation from BMW to test drive the new iX5 Hydrogen, we ask ourselves what Bavaria means as well as “I think you’re crazy”. Are you currently launching a hydrogen (H₂) vehicle? In an era where almost every manufacturer is talking about electric cars only?
Even BMW boss Oliver Zipse (59) admits that the hydrogen vehicle market will never be as big as battery electric vehicles. But it also points to the potential of hydrogen for the mobility sector and that it may well be needed one day, even if its efficiency is lower than battery electric vehicles. For example, in large vehicles that can be very heavy with batteries. Or for customers without access to charging infrastructure.
Pilot fleet of 100 vehicles
Like many experts, Zipse says, “Hydrogen will play a key role in the energy transition and therefore climate protection.” That’s why BMW wants to be well prepared for the future and keep all technological possibilities open: “Hydrogen is the missing piece of the puzzle for emission-free mobility. Because no single technology will be enough to ensure climate-neutral mobility around the world.»
However, it will likely take until the end of the decade for hydrogen-driven serial BMWs to roll off the assembly line. Mass production doesn’t make sense right now – the technology is still too expensive and green, so environmentally friendly, hydrogen produced from natural electricity is as scarce as at H₂ filling stations (see box). That’s why they want to gain more experience with a pilot fleet of nearly 100 vehicles and use the iX5 for demonstration and testing purposes.
The heart of the fuel cell
Every car in the fleet is largely hand screwed one time. The basis is the regular X5 from BMW’s Spartanburg plant in the USA, delivered fully assembled at BMW’s hydrogen headquarters in Munich. There they are again partially disassembled and fitted with H₂ drives.
The core is the so-called fuel cell stack: It consists of individual fuel cells from collaboration partner Toyota that are pressed into a stack under high pressure. In this stack, which is the most powerful in the industry, hydrogen from carbon high-pressure tanks is converted into electrical energy, which is used to power the electric motor on the rear axle. In principle, the iX5 is an electric car with an H₂ tank instead of a large battery. Only 10 liters of water per 100 kilometers are produced as “exhaust gases” released as steam while driving.
Very quiet with 400 hp
Logically, the iX5 also works like an electric car: In the cockpit, we press the start button, which is the same as the regular X5 except for a few blue decorative elements. The 2,460 kg heavy SUV (50 kg lighter than the X5 plug-in hybrid) drives as quiet as a whisper. It’s incredible that the iX5 feels so light, especially when pushing the full power of the system. Then 125 kilowatts (kW) permanently available from the fuel cell assembly are added, with another 170 kW from the small lithium-ion buffer battery, which is also used for recovery during braking.
Theoretically, 295 kW, around 400 hp and a maximum torque of 710 Nm come together. In practical terms, this means that when taking off at traffic lights, the rear wheels get some friction and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than six seconds. The iX5 manages top speeds of over 180 km/h on German highways. The more powerfully the SUV pulls away, the more confidently it clears bumps on the sometimes pothole roads around Belgium’s metropolis Antwerp. At the port there, the second largest port in Europe after Rotterdam (NL), we can experience what happens when six kilos of hydrogen are used from two 700 bar pressure tanks in the underbody after a maximum of 504 kilometers, according to BMW. . At the H₂ filling station, which is also used by ships, it takes just under three minutes for the iX5 to be ready to continue its journey with a full tank.
BMW’s hydrogen future
For now, the iX5 Hydrogen is a development tool that only selected testers come into contact with. But unlike previous projects like the 5 Series GT Hydrogen in 2015, the technology looks market ready. Demand for hydrogen cars is still very low and mass production costs are very high. But even if BMW vehemently identifies electric mobility with battery cars as its top priority, there is a good chance that hydrogen propulsion will one day be installed in serial BMWs: the “New Class” starting in 2025 – BMW’s technological and financial project of the century – not only to electric drive, but also to electric drive. It must also have space to offer a hydrogen drive.
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
