BMW will add a hydrogen-powered car to its lineup in 2028, the automaker introduced on Thursday.
It is going to be a hydrogen-electric car utilizing a next-generation powertrain developed collectively with Toyota, which plans to make use of the powertrain in its personal autos.
A hydrogen-electric car is much like a battery-electric car, however as an alternative of the drive system drawing vitality from a charged battery it depends on a hydrogen gasoline cell stack. Such autos additionally typically have a battery that steps in to ship additional vitality throughout high-load conditions.
BMW has been constructing hydrogen-electric X5 SUVs since late 2022, albeit in very low volumes. The autos have been restricted to check and demonstration functions and by no means provided to the general public. The hydrogen-electric car due in 2028 might be an everyday manufacturing mannequin. It is going to be a variant of an current mannequin line, BMW has confirmed.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen manufacturing – Dec. 2022
BMW, very like Toyota, needs to supply prospects a alternative of powertrains, be it fuel powertrains, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric autos, or hydrogen-electric autos.
An absence of charging infrastructure remains to be one of many greatest sticking level for would-be EV patrons, however hydrogen infrastructure is nearly non-existent. To deal with the problem, BMW and Toyota view the event of hydrogen-electric passenger autos as a method to create demand.
Each firms are additionally working with vitality companies specializing in manufacturing and distribution of low-carbon hydrogen. Toyota final fall demonstrated a pilot plant capable of flip biogas into hydrogen.
Toyota and a number of other different firms together with Bosch, Ferrari, and Porsche are additionally taking a look at internal-combustion engines designed to run on hydrogen, albeit probably to be used in motorsports reasonably than manufacturing autos. When burning hydrogen, engines emit zero carbon emissions. Nonetheless, additionally they emit dangerous nitrogen oxides that have to be handled utilizing urea-based selective catalytic discount like in fashionable diesel engines.
