It’s been more than a decade since BMW and Toyota started working together. This partnership would result in the Supra and Z4, but their bond goes deeper than their sports cars. The two will start mass-producing and selling the co-developed hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as soon as 2025. Pieter Nota, BMW’s head of sales, revealed the information in an interview with Nikkei Asia.
Nota did not provide details about the new fuel cell vehicle, but he told the publication that BMW sees hydrogen as “highly relevant for larger SUVs.” Old rumors suggest BMW was interested in adding hydrogen power to the X7 at one point.
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However, customers don’t have to wait another three years to experience the new BMW fuel cell vehicle. The Hydrogen iX5 concept introduced by the automaker at last year’s Munich Motor Show will start limited production later this year.
BMW’s focus on fuel cell technology allows the company to spread its investment as it continues to fund combustion engines and battery-electric vehicles. EV infrastructure is lagging and uneven in most markets. However, the infrastructure for hydrogen is almost non-existent. The German automaker wants 50 percent of the group’s new car sales to be EVs by 2030, including the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands.
We don’t know everything about the new Hydrogen iX5. The concept arrives with 168 horsepower (125 kilowatts) on the spec sheet, but we don’t know the range. The crossover is expected to feature two six-kilogram hydrogen tanks. The powertrain can produce up to 369 hp (275 kW), too, but BMW chose to prioritize efficiency over performance.
Toyota has a long history of developing hydrogen fuel cells, so BMW venturing into space with the Japanese automaker is no surprise. The company began developing the technology in 1992, culminating with the mass-produced Mirai hitting the market in 2015. The FCV recently received a significant update from Toyota with a second-generation model for 2021. Notes hint that there are other projects BMW and Toyota are working on. work together.
