BMW to Unveil Its First Hydrogen Car in 2028

Berlin, 6 September 2024 (TDI): Using fuel cell technology developed in conjunction with Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), BMW (BMWG.DE) plans to launch its first hydrogen-powered car on the market in 2028. The German automaker announced this on Thursday.

Without providing any other information, the company stated that the car would be an existing model with a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion option. Furthermore, neither the price nor the amount of production were mentioned.

The car would “highlight how technological progress is shaping the mobility of the future,” according to a statement from Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW.

The groups said that their collaboration with Toyota will enable them to reduce expenses and create a drive unit for a passenger automobile whose technology will also find use in commercial vehicles.

A hydrogen passenger car with a range of 500 km (310 miles) and the ability to refuel in three to four minutes, the iX5 Hydrogen, is being tested by BMW, the German automaker that is by far the biggest proponent of hydrogen technology.

To protect its investments in case one “green” technology overtakes the other, the group is creating prototypes of both fuel cell and battery vehicles.

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Similar to an EV, a fuel cell car has an electric motor, but it gets its power from a fuel stack where hydrogen is separated from oxygen by a catalyst to create electricity.

Although hydrogen-powered cars have a great range and can be refueled fast, few automakers have made the technological investment due to high costs and a sparse network of fueling stations.

In order to support its ambitions, BMW stated that it anticipated that the infrastructure for hydrogen charging would have advanced significantly by 2028.