BMW to sell hydrogen fuel cell cars by 2028

German carmaker giant BMW has officially announced that, in partnership with Toyota, it will launch its first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle by 2028.

The press-release from BMW comes just days after BMW’s executives met with Toyota to discuss ongoing opportunities within the hydrogen automotive space.

Joint development

BMW reported that their global tests of the iX5 Hydrogen had been a success and this had led to BMW focussing on a series production of hydrogen drivetrain models, jointly developed with Toyota.

The models released will be integrated into BMW’s current portfolio, with a variant of existing models becoming available as a FCEV.

Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW said: “This is a milestone in automotive history: the first-ever series production fuel cell vehicle to be offered by a global premium manufacturer.

“Powered by hydrogen and driven by the spirit of our cooperation, it will underscore how technological progress is shaping future mobility”.

Same passion

Toyota’s President, Koji Sato said: “We are pleased that the collaboration between BMW and Toyota has entered a new stage. […] BMW and Toyota share the same passion for cars and belief in ‘technology openness’ and a ‘multi-pathway’ approach to carbon neutrality.

“Based on these shared values, we will deepen our collaboration in efforts such as the joint development of next-generation fuel cell systems and the expansion of infrastructure, aiming for the realisation of a hydrogen society.

“We will accelerate our efforts together with BMW and partners across various industries to realise a future where hydrogen energy supports society”.

BMW’s announcement is a huge milestone in the commitment from large manufacturers to look at complimenting green technologies as opposed to solely focusing on battery electric vehicles (BEV).

With a quick refuelling time of sub five minutes, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) takes away from the “range anxiety” experienced by most BEV drivers.

Committed

Both BMW and Toyota will continue to encourage sustainable hydrogen supply and are committed to working closely with hydrogen infrastructure providers, from production, distribution and refuelling.

One thing that is clear is that hydrogen has a future in the automotive industry. It’s coming, and it’s coming fast.