Back in March, BMW announced plans for a hydrogen-powered X5 scheduled for a limited production run come 2022. Now, it’s being reported that the vehicle will be called the i Hydrogen NEXT, just like the concept unveiled in Frankfurt last year.
The carmaker now plans to produce as many drive variants as possible until one technology proves dominant with the masses, reports Autonews Europe.
The technology “could have the potential to become another pillar in the portfolio of BMW,” stated CEO Oliver Zipse.
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Hydrogen fuel cell systems are still regarded as viable alternatives to fully-electric drivetrains, because the former offer faster refueling (3-4 minutes) and longer ranges. That however hasn’t stopped some carmakers from giving up on fuel cell tech due to high costs.
Germany is looking to take the lead in the fuel cell sector after having presented a 7 billion euro ($8.1 billion) plan last month to support its domestic hydrogen industry. The EU’s largest car market is targeting 5 gigawatts of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030, which then would double by 2035.
Back to the i Hydrogen NEXT, its fuel cells were developed in partnership with Toyota, and word has it that it will put down a total output of 369 HP (374 PS).
“The hydrogen fuel cell technology could quite feasibly become the fourth pillar of our powertrain portfolio in the long term,” said BMW board member Klaus Frohlich back in March. “The upper-end models in our extremely popular X family would make particularly more suitable candidates here.”
Does this mean we can expect to see a FCV version of the BMW X7? It kind of sounds like it, although it surely won’t happen anytime soon.
