Novelty – BMW X5 tests fuel cell technology

Production of the BMW iX5 hydrogen car. Photo: Union of Authors / BMW

BMW is open to technology and has started production of the iX5 Hydrogen. The small series of the first SUV with hydrogen fuel cell technology is being produced at the pilot plant of the company’s Research and Innovation Center (FIZ) and has already gone through an extensive test program in the development phase. From spring 2023, it will be used as a technical guide for CO2-free mobility locally in select regions.

In the pilot plant’s body shop, conventional X5s were fitted with a new floor pan allowing two hydrogen tanks in the center tunnel and under the rear seat. The electric motor, located near the rear axle with the battery, is also used in BMW’s battery and plug-in hybrid models. The fuel cell systems are located under the front hood of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen and have been manufactured at BMW’s hydrogen efficiency center in Garching, north of Munich, since August this year. (AWM)

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