Munich / Antwerp. The BMW Group is presenting
international media representatives with the first vehicles in a pilot
fleet that will go into service this year. After four years of
development work, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicle and development project
is entering its critical next phase.

The fleet of under 100 vehicles will then be employed
internationally for demonstration and trial purposes for various
target groups. This active driving experience will therefore be the
first chance for people not involved in the development process to
gain a direct impression of what the BMW iX5 Hydrogen has to offer.

“Hydrogen is a versatile energy source that has a key role to
play in the energy transition process and therefore in climate
protection. After all, it is one of the most efficient ways of storing
and transporting renewable energies”, said Oliver Zipse,
Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “We should
use this potential to also accelerate the transformation of the
mobility sector. Hydrogen is the missing piece in the jigsaw when it
comes to emission-free mobility. One technology on its own will not be
enough to enable climate-neutral mobility worldwide.”

The BMW iX5 Hydrogen.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen
developed on the basis of the current BMW X5 was first unveiled as a
concept at the IAA show in 2019. Initial prototypes were then made
available at the IAA Mobility 2021 for visitors to experience in
action as shuttle vehicles.

Its hydrogen fuel cell system is further proof of the BMW
Group’s leading development expertise in the field of electric drive
technologies. The BMW Group is systematically pushing forward with
development of hydrogen fuel cell technology as an additional option
for locally emission-free individual mobility in the future.

BMW’s technological expertise.
The BMW Group
produces the highly efficient fuel cell systems for the pilot fleet at
its in-house competence centre for hydrogen in Munich. This technology
is one of the core elements in the BMW iX5 Hydrogen and generates a
high continuous output of 125 kW/170 hp.

A chemical reaction takes place in the fuel cell between gaseous
hydrogen from the tanks and oxygen from the air. Maintaining a steady
supply of both elements to the fuel cell’s membrane is of crucial
importance for the drive system’s efficiency. In addition to the
technological equivalents of features found on combustion engines,
such as charge air coolers, air filters, control units and sensors,
the BMW Group also developed special hydrogen components for its new
fuel cell system. These include the high-speed compressor with turbine
and high-voltage coolant pump, for instance.

The BMW Group sources the individual fuel cells from the Toyota
Motor Corporation. The two companies have enjoyed a partnership
characterised by trust for many years and have been collaborating on
fuel cell drive systems since 2013.

Fuel cell systems are manufactured in two main steps, based on
the individual fuel cells. The cells are first assembled into a fuel
cell stack. The next step involves fitting all the other components to
produce a complete fuel cell system.

Stacking of the fuel cells is largely a fully automated process.
Once the individual components have been inspected for any damage, the
stack is compressed by machine with a force of five tonnes and placed
in a housing. The stack housing is manufactured in the light metal
foundry at BMW Group Plant Landshut using a sand casting technique.

For this, molten aluminium is poured into a mould made from
compacted sand mixed with resin in a process specially designed for
this small-series vehicle.

The pressure plate, which delivers hydrogen and oxygen to the
fuel cell stack, is made from cast plastic parts and light-alloy
castings, also from the Landshut plant. The pressure plate forms a
gas-tight and water-tight seal around the stack housing.

Final assembly of the fuel cell stacks includes a voltage test
along with extensive testing of the chemical reaction within the
cells. Finally, all the different components are fitted together in
the assembly area to produce the complete system.

During this system assembly stage, further components are
fitted, such as the compressor, the anode and cathode of the fuel-cell
system, the high-voltage coolant pump and the wiring harness.

In combination with a highly integrated drive unit using
fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology (the electric motor,
transmission and power electronics are grouped together in a compact
housing) at the rear axle and a power battery with lithium-ion
technology developed specially for this vehicle, the powertrain
channels maximum output of 295kW / 401 hp onto the road. In coasting
overrun and braking phases, the motor also serves as a generator,
feeding energy back into a power battery.

Production at Munich pilot plant.
The BMW iX5
Hydrogen is being built in the BMW Group’s pilot plant at its Research
and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich. This is the interface between
development and production where every new model from the company’s
brands is made for the first time. Around 900 people work there in the
body shop, assembly, model engineering, concept vehicle construction
and additive manufacturing.
They are tasked with ensuring that
both the product and the manufacturing process are ready for series
production. In the case of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, specialists in
hydrogen technology, vehicle development and initial assembly of new
models have been working closely together to integrate the
cutting-edge drive and energy storage technology.

Hydrogen allows rapid re-fuelling.
The hydrogen
needed to supply the fuel cell is stored in two 700-bar tanks made of
carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). Together these hold almost six
kilograms of hydrogen, enough to give the BMW iX5 Hydrogen a range of
504 km (313 miles) in the WLTP cycle. Filling up the hydrogen tanks
only takes three to four minutes – so the BMW iX5 Hydrogen can also
provide the driving pleasure for which BMW is renowned over long
distances, with just a few, short stops along the way.

Summary of the technical data, performance, fuel consumption
and range figures for the BMW iX5 Hydrogen:




Maximum output of overall drive system: 295 kW/401 hp
Electric continuous output of the fuel-cell system:
125 kW/170 hp
Maximum output of the battery (lithium-ion
technology): 170 kW/231 hp
Maximum output of the highly integrated electric drive
unit: 295 kW/401 hp
Capacity of the hydrogen tanks: 6 kg hydrogen (gaseous)
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (62 mph) < 6 s

Top speed: Over 180 km/h (112 mph)
Hydrogen consumption in the WLTP cycle: 1.19 kg/100 km
Range in the WLTP cycle: 504 km (313 miles)

FCEV technology contributes to
decarbonisation.
The BMW Group is the first German
carmaker to have joined the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign” led
by the Science Based Targets initiative and is committed to achieving
the goal of full climate neutrality throughout the value chain.

The next step in this process involves the BMW Group’s plan to
reduce CO₂ emissions per vehicle over its full lifecycle –
i.e. supply chain, production and use phase – by at least 40 per cent
by 2030 compared with 2019.

The BMW Group sold more than 215,000 fully electric vehicles
worldwide in 2022, which represents an increase over the previous year
of almost 108 per cent. Fully electric vehicles accounted for just
under 9 per cent of total sales volumes last year, and this share is
set to increase to 15 per cent in 2023.

By 2030 at the latest, the BMW Group is looking to reach a
situation where fully electric vehicles claim a more than 50 per cent
share of its overall sales.

The BMW Group views FCEV technology expressly as a potential
addition to the drive technology used by battery-electric vehicles.

Hydrogen as part of global activities for CO₂-free
mobility.
According to a report by the International
Energy Agency (IEA), hydrogen offers considerable potential as a
future energy source in connection with global energy transition
activities. Thanks to its storage and transport capabilities, hydrogen
can be used for a wide variety of applications.
Most
industrialised countries are therefore adopting hydrogen strategies
and backing them up with roadmaps and concrete projects. In the
transport sector, hydrogen can become a further technology option,
alongside battery-electric mobility, for shaping sustainable
individual mobility in the long term.

However, this will depend on competitive production of
sufficient quantities of hydrogen from green power, as well as
expansion of the corresponding filling infrastructure, which is
already being intensively pursued in many countries.

The BMW Group welcomes and supports activities to promote
innovation in Germany and Europe that will help build a hydrogen
economy and accelerate production of green hydrogen. These
specifically include the large-scale hydrogen projects classified as
Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI).

The projects that comprise this European Union initiative,
supported in Germany by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and
the Federal Ministry of Transport, span the entire value chain – from
hydrogen production to transport to applications in industry.

With the right conditions, hydrogen fuel cell technology has the
potential to become a further pillar in the BMW Group’s drive train
portfolio for local CO₂-free mobility.