If it’s up to BMW, the future isn’t necessarily electric. At least, not necessarily battery-electric. The brand believes in the combination of a fleet of batteries and fuel cells. The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is the first passenger car with this technology. And although you can’t buy it, we went out with it anyway.
From the outside, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen looks like a normal X5 with some nice blue accents. And come on, it says very big ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell’ on the flanks. But those who do not know what all this means will see little or nothing special about this BMW. Yet this is indeed a special car. Under the hood you will not find a combustion engine, but a fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity, which drives one electric motor on the rear axle.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen converts hydrogen into electricity
We will not go into too much detail about the technology, but it is good to know that a fuel cell generates electricity by means of a chemical reaction between gaseous hydrogen and oxygen. Toyota, which has been offering a hydrogen car for years with the Mirai, supplied the individual cells for the iX5 Hydrogen.
Read also: Why there is a layer of ice on the fuel nozzle after filling up with hydrogen
BMW then developed the stack where they are housed and all the technology to get air and hydrogen to the cell under the right conditions; and then directing the electricity to the motor. No expense has been spared – BMW takes this concept very seriously. Fifteen years ago they built a V12 combustion engine on hydrogen, but now it is the fuel cell that they are focusing on.
A hydrogen car is better for the electricity grid
The idea behind driving on hydrogen is twofold. First of all, BMW fears (and they are certainly not alone in this) that our power grid will be faced with a challenge if everyone starts driving electrically. And secondly, planning trips to battery charging times is not an ideal scenario for everyone. Driving on hydrogen could offer a solution: you do not burden the power grid with charging stations and when your tank is empty, you can refill it at a filling station, in much the same way as you are used to with petrol or diesel cars. You have no emissions, except for some water vapour. And you don’t need precious metals to produce batteries either.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is here for testing
To see if that kite also works in practice, BMW has now put the iX5 Hydrogen on the road. Exactly how many units were built is unknown; BMW keeps it at a few dozen. How does that drive? Not very different from the electric BMWs of comparable caliber that you already know. The iX5 Hydrogen is quiet, comfortable and solid and can be directed over the asphalt with great feeling. The fuel cell in front of you does its job without you noticing it very much. And that is very pleasant.
In addition, the car is quite smooth. It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in about six seconds and does this by combining the output of the fuel cell, 170 hp, with a modest battery of 2.0 kWh and drive technology from the iX. With all this, the system power comes to 401 hp, and that turns out to be enough to get this heavy rascal (it weighs about 2,400 kilos) surprisingly quickly from its place.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen actually drives like an EV
It also holds its own in the busy traffic around Antwerp through which we race. What we already wrote: in fact, this drives like a regular EV. Incidentally, it could very well be that future hydrogen cars from BMW will not have rear-wheel drive, but four-wheel drive. The fuel cell block is still too large to accommodate a second engine at the front wheels; who knows what it will be like in a few years.
The following also applies when driving on hydrogen: if you keep your right foot under control, you get the most kilometers out of a tank. Although, strictly speaking, we are talking about two tanks with the iX5. The largest is placed longitudinally under the center tunnel and a second, smaller tank is located widthwise under the rear seat. You can fill up with 6 kilos of hydrogen in total, which costs you about a minute per kilo at the average hydrogen station. With filled tanks and a fully charged battery you can sing it out for more than 500 kilometers.
There are not many hydrogen stations yet
So refuelling, one of the advantages of hydrogen. At the same time, there is a ‘but’: there are currently only a few H2petrol stations. And if you can refuel at all, it is not necessarily cheaper than driving on petrol or diesel. There are also huge price differences between stations. We refueled with our iX5 at two different stations around Antwerp.
With one we paid 17.99 euros per kilo and we would have lost more than 100 euros for two full tanks. With the other, the price was 9.99 euros per kilo, so it would cost us just under six decades. There are also disadvantages to the production of hydrogen: for example, natural gas is still needed to make the stuff. It becomes more interesting if hydrogen is generated in a green way, for example from solar energy.
The handful of hydrogen cars that are already on the market have so far been able to initiate little change. It will be all the more promising if several large manufacturers will master the technology. Although the BMW iX5 Hydrogen already drives like it could go straight into the showroom, it is just a taste of what BMW thinks a future with fuel cell electric cars could look like.
BMW’s real hydrogen car should arrive in 2025
It will not be available to the general public, but the fact that the brand has a high level of technology is evident from the intention to market the first hydrogen production model after 2025. According to BMW, that will be a large-sized car; for example an X5. Especially in that class and in the transport sector, they see a future for hydrogen in Munich. According to BMW, smaller cars can do just fine with battery electric.
Read also: BMW gets into the trucks (on hydrogen!) with Volvo
There is still a lot to be done before hydrogen can be used for mass transport purposes, but this new introduction is certainly encouraging. And makes it clear why hydrogen can be a serious option for both transport and passenger transport in the (near) future. If such a passenger car drives, looks and is finished like this iX5 Hydrogen, it only helps.
Specifications BMW iX5 Hydrogen (2023)
engine
1 electric motor
401 hp
720 Nm
fuel cell +
2.0 kWh (battery)
Drive
rear wheels
stepless
Performance
0-100 km/h in <6.0 sec
top 185 km/h
Consumption (average) 1.19 kg/100 km
Range (assignment)
504km (WLTP)
Dimensions
4,922 x 2,004 x 1,745 mm (lxwxh) 2,975 mm
(wheelbase) >2,400 kg
6 kg (hydrogen)
500 l (luggage)
Prices
not for sale
#BMW #iX5 #Hydrogen #review #BMWs #hydrogen #car #drive