BMW claims its first hydrogen car will be outstanding: Video

BMW has been working on hydrogen vehicles since 1979. At that time, it developed the 520h, a 5 Series E12. It had a combustion engine modified to run on hydrogen – a formula that was further developed over the decades with subsequent prototypes. The best known examples were the 750hL (E38) from 2000 and the Hydrogen 7 (E65) from 2006.

However, things changed in the 2010s when BMW developed a 5 Series Gran Turismo with a fuel cell instead. By then, the German luxury brand was already working with Toyota. The same decade also saw a lesser-known experimental i8 prototype with a hydrogen fuel cell. BMW stopped developing hydrogen cars with internal combustion engines many years ago. In 2028, a mass-produced electric vehicle with a fuel cell will finally hit the market, and it will be “outstanding.”

A new official video released this week celebrates the closer relationship between Toyota and BMW. We hear Frank Weber, member of the board of directors, touting the hydrogen project four years before the first car of its kind goes on sale. All hydrogen vehicles bearing the roundel have never been sold to customers, but this one has.

“Toyota contributes its know-how for the individual fuel cells and BMW contributes its know-how for the drive train integration and the drive system. The result will be terrific.”

Frank Weber further says that the as-yet-unnamed model “will be an exceptional car, just like any other BMW.” As previously reported, we believe the vehicle in question will likely be based on the next-generation X5. The luxury SUV will switch to the codename “G65” in the second half of 2026, but the hydrogen variant is set to debut a few years later in the lifecycle. All X5 variants will remain on the CLAR platform, including a battery-powered electric variant.

The video alongside reminds us of the advantages of a hydrogen car. It takes about as long to refuel as a car with a combustion engine. The range is not bad either, as the iX5 can travel 504 kilometers before needing to refuel. Logic tells us that BMW and Toyota can improve on that by 2028.

Where people will refuel their hydrogen cars is another story…

Source: BMW