BMW will add a hydrogen-powered automobile to its lineup in 2028, the automaker introduced on Thursday.
It will likely be a hydrogen-electric automobile utilizing a next-generation powertrain developed collectively with Toyota, which plans to make use of the powertrain in its personal automobiles.
A hydrogen-electric automobile is much like a battery-electric automobile, however as an alternative of the drive system drawing power from a charged battery it depends on a hydrogen gas cell stack. Such automobiles additionally typically have a battery that steps in to ship further power throughout high-load conditions.
BMW has been constructing hydrogen-electric X5 SUVs since late 2022, albeit in very low volumes. The automobiles have been restricted to check and demonstration functions and by no means provided to the general public. The hydrogen-electric automobile due in 2028 shall be an everyday manufacturing mannequin. It will likely be a variant of an current mannequin line, BMW has confirmed.
BMW iX5 Hydrogen manufacturing – Dec. 2022
BMW, very similar to Toyota, needs to supply prospects a selection of powertrains, be it fuel powertrains, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric automobiles, or hydrogen-electric automobiles.
An absence of charging infrastructure remains to be one of many largest sticking level for would-be EV patrons, however hydrogen infrastructure is nearly nonexistent. To deal with the difficulty, BMW and Toyota view the event of hydrogen-electric passenger automobiles as a way to create demand.
Each corporations are additionally working with power 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 corporations together with Bosch, Ferrari, and Porsche are additionally taking a look at internal-combustion engines designed to run on hydrogen, albeit probably for use in motorsports moderately than manufacturing automobiles. When burning hydrogen, engines emit zero carbon emissions. Nevertheless, additionally they emit dangerous nitrogen oxides that must be handled utilizing urea-based selective catalytic discount like in fashionable diesel engines.
