It was almost half a century since BMW has been experimenting with hydrogen prototypes for the first time. In the late 1970s, a first generation 5 (E12) revised its internal combustion engine for the 520h on liquid hydrogen in the 520i specification. Further test cars followed, including V12 driven 7 Series sedans, which can run on both petrol and hydrogen. However, recent efforts have only focused on fuel cell prototypes. In 2028, the first hydrogen car from BMW does not use a burning engine.
Three years before the start, BMW lays the basics by starting its locations Steyr and Munich with prototype -fuel cell production. Series production of the fuel cell system begins in the Steyr facility in 2028, while certain drive system components are installed in Landshut. The latter location will add the necessary devices for series production in May 2026.
This new fuel cell system will be invoiced as a third generation. The original setup used in the 2010s was completely borrowed from Toyota. The second generation supplies the IX5 pilot fleet. Only the individual cells from Toyota come in these SUVs. The rest of the system was developed internally by BMW.
The upcoming setup will be a common effort between the two companies to reduce the costs. Compared to current hardware, it will be 25% smaller for simpler packaging in production vehicles. A much higher power density makes it possible without negatively influencing efficiency. BMW also underlines a high degree of integration, so that the hydrogen system is provided over several platforms.
BMW and Toyota also promise improvements that benefit customers directly: larger reach, more electricity and lower energy consumption. While BMW does not yet reveal the identity of its first hydrogen model, we have reported that it will probably be the X5. Not the current version, but the X5 (G65) of the next generation in 2026.
The luxury SUV is initially offered with petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and battery electro drive drive drive drive drive drive offers. The luxury SUV is expected to receive a hydrogen variant for fuel cells two years after its life cycle. Reports also indicate that the X5 of the fifth generation could receive an EV derivative with a petrol engine that serves as a generator.
Source: BMW
