BMW has been working with the Toyota Motor Corporation since 2013 to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology. They recently revealed details for their BMW i Hydrogen NEXT powertrain system.
BMW designed the fuel cell stack and overall system using fuel cells developed with Toyota. This announcement reaffirms the company’s ongoing commitment to “hydrogen fuel cell powertrain system technology.”
Jürgen Guldner, VP of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology and Vehicle Projects for BMW explains the system: “The fuel cell system generates up to 125 kW (170 hp) of electric energy from the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen from the ambient air,” which means the vehicle will only emit water vapors.
Located underneath the fuel cells is an electric converter that adapts the voltage levels to the electric powertrain and optimal battery output. Along with energy from the hydrogen fuel cells, the battery will also be fed by braking energy. The hydrogen will be stored in two 700-bar tanks that can hold a combined six kilograms of hydrogen.
The BMW i Hydrogen NEXT will be fully integrated with the fifth-generation eDrive unit that will debut in the BMW iX3. This specially designed drive unit, which is placed above the electric motor, will provide peak battery power.
BMW is actively pursuing multiple avenues to reduce vehicle emissions. Member of the Board of Management, Klaus Fröhlich, recently spoke about this in the company press release:
“We are convinced that various alternative powertrain systems will exist alongside one another in [the] future, as there is no single solution that addresses the full spectrum of customers’ mobility requirements worldwide. The hydrogen fuel cell technology could quite feasibly become the fourth pillar of our powertrain portfolio in the long term. The upper-end models in our extremely popular X family would make particularly suitable candidates here.”
Mainstream implementation of hydrogen fuel cells is still quite a few years away. Before people will realistically be in the market for hydrogen vehicles, the cost of hydrogen production needs to be lowered, and more infrastructure of hydrogen filling stations needs to be built.
Fröhlich spoke about this as well:
“In our view, hydrogen as energy carrier must first be produced in sufficient quantities at a competitive price using green electricity. Hydrogen will then be used primarily in applications that cannot be directly electrified, such as long-distance heavy-duty transport.”
Integrating high-quality parts alongside the latest technology, BMW is making steady progress toward a zero-emission future. People should only shop for used BMW parts from reliable stores that guarantee to provide them with the best for their electric cars. Further research and development in this field will surely result in a more sustainable future for the automotive industry.
BMW’s commitment to hydrogen goes even further as they are involved in the BRYSON research project, which “seeks to develop pioneering high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks. These are to be designed to allow easy integration into future universal vehicle architectures.”
Realistically, BMW is targeting the second half of this decade for all things to be in place. In the meantime, they plan on the continuous expansion of their battery-electric-vehicle (BEVs) market with 25 models scheduled for a 2023 launch, including 12 all-electric.
The pilot trial version of a hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain, using the current BMW X5 style, is set to take place in 2022.
