BMW announced that it has officially commenced fuel cell production at its competence center for hydrogen in Munich. Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the BMW Management Board, and Frank Weber, Member of the Management Board responsible for Development, attended the event.
As previously announced, the iX5 Hydrogen Concept from last year will enter limited production at the end of the year, both for testing and demonstration purposes. It will use a fuel cell system, which, together with a high-performance battery, is set to enrich the BMW portfolio by “adding a unique drive system shape to the premium segment.”
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“As a versatile energy source, hydrogen has a key role to play on the road to climate neutrality. And that will also be very important as far as personal mobility is concerned. We think hydrogen-powered vehicles are ideally placed technologically to match battery-electric vehicles and complete the picture. electric mobility,” says Oliver Zipse.
BMW poured some details about the production process in its release. The German marque sources individual fuel cells from Toyota, which confirms earlier reports that the two companies are working together to mass-produce new fuel cell vehicles.
According to BMW, the fuel cell system is produced in two steps. The fuel cell stack was first assembled from individual fuel cells from Toyota. All other components are then installed to complete the fuel cell system. Both processes are carried out in-house at the BMW Group Plant Landshut.
As for the iX5 Hydrogen, BMW hasn’t detailed its production specifications, although the concept comes with 168 horsepower (125 kilowatts). Its range remains a mystery at this point, but we do know that it will supposedly feature two six-kilogram hydrogen tanks.
