BMW recently said it would explore the production of fuel cell vehicles on its upcoming Neue Klasse pure-electric platform.
BMW will begin small-scale production of a hydrogen fuel cell version of the X5 large SUV, dubbed the iX5 Hydrogen, by the end of this year. BMW has revealed a prototype of the iX5 Hydrogen at the 2021 IAA Motor Show in Munich. BMW said the model combines a fuel cell and a normal battery, with a combined output of 374 horsepower, and it only takes three to four minutes to fill up the fuel. The project was also funded by the German government.
BMW's openness to adding hydrogen-powered fuel cells to its Neue Klasse models demonstrates the flexibility of the platform. Fuel cell vehicles can convert hydrogen into electricity with water as their only emissions.
The Neue Klasse platform will go into production in 2025 at BMW's new plant in Debrecen, Hungary. Zipzer said the Munich plant will also start producing models based on the platform in 2026. BMW expects that by 2030, more than half of the company's global sales will come from vehicles based on the platform, Zipzer said.
