BMW Group Begins In-House Production of Fuel Cells for BMW iX5 Hydrogen

BMW AG has begun in-house fuel cell system production at the company’s competence centre for hydrogen in Munich, Germany. They will be used in the small series of BMW iX5 Hydrogen cars that will be entering service around the world from the end of this year for test and demonstration purposes. 

The fuel cell technology teams up with an electric motor featuring fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology and a high-performance battery purpose developed for this vehicle to enable its powertrain to deliver 275 kW/374 hp.

BMW's development team incorporated the drive system – comprising two hydrogen tanks, the fuel cell and the electric motor – into the existing BMW X5 platform for the small production run.

The BMW iX5 Hydrogen was successfully tested at very low temperatures in Sweden at the start of this year.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, says: "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, in Munich on Wednesday. “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.”

“Our many years of research and development work have enabled us to get the very most out of hydrogen technology,” adds Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development. “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 combination of fuel cell and high-performance EV batteries is set to expand BMW’s portfolio by adding a unique form of drive system for the premium segment.