BMW adds hydrogen energy, first mass-produced fuel cell car to be launched in 2028

As many countries around the world slow down their incentive policies for electric vehicles and consumers are still anxious about battery life and charging, the sales growth of pure electric vehicles has slowed down. Many automakers have turned their attention back to alternatives such as hybrid power and hydrogen energy. Among them, BMW is firmly at the forefront of the hydrogen energy route.

Dr. Jürgen Guldner, general manager of BMW's hydrogen energy technology project, said in an interview with Driving Hydrogen recently that BMW plans to launch its first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell model in 2028, which is expected to be built on the next-generation X5 SUV platform. This will be BMW's first truly market-oriented hydrogen energy mass-produced car. The previously launched iX5 Hydrogen is only a small-scale experimental prototype.

Guldner pointed out that the hydrogen energy infrastructure in markets such as Europe, Japan and South Korea is gradually improving, and more and more hydrogen refueling stations are under construction, which is expected to pave the way for hydrogen energy models. He said: "Hydrogen-powered vehicles have the advantages of electric vehicles - quiet, zero emissions, strong instant torque, and the convenience of fast energy replenishment in 3 to 4 minutes of traditional gasoline vehicles, which can effectively alleviate the current problems of long charging time and imperfect infrastructure of electric vehicles."

BMW maintains in-depth cooperation with Toyota in the research and development of hydrogen fuel cells. The iX5 Hydrogen is equipped with a fuel cell system provided by Toyota. The partnership will continue in 2028 to jointly develop a new generation of fuel cell technology to achieve large-scale production and reduce costs.

It is worth noting that although major automakers have been looking forward to hydrogen energy in the past few decades, there are still only a handful of fuel cell passenger cars that have actually landed. At present, only a few models such as Toyota Mirai and Honda Clarity are sold in individual markets, and the market performance is mediocre. However, in the field of commercial vehicles and heavy equipment, hydrogen energy has shown broad prospects and also provides a foundation for the development of the hydrogen energy economy.

According to the latest data, the total value of the European hydrogen energy market will reach US$77.8 billion in 2024, and it is expected to increase to US$83.6 billion by the end of this year and exceed US$149.3 billion in 2033. Germany, France and Spain currently account for more than half of Europe's hydrogen energy production capacity, becoming key drivers of hydrogen energy strategy.