BMW is now also using hydrogen: with the BMW X5 Hydrogen. The Munich start with the production of a small series in the pilot plant of the Munich Research and Innovation Center (FIZ). The “Krone” was already on the road in Munich with a prototype.
From spring 2023, the vehicles will be used in selected regions as a kind of experience-collecting machine. The goal: BMW wants to “make our customers an attractive range of products when the hydrogen economy becomes a reality across the board,” explains Frank Weber, Board Member for Development. He considers “a mixture of battery and fuel cell electric drives to be sensible in the long term. In addition, the fuel cell does not require any critical raw materials such as cobalt, lithium or nickel, so that with our investment in this type of drive we are also strengthening the geopolitical resilience of the BMW Group. Tanks in the center tunnel and under the rear bench made possible. The electric motor, which is located near the rear axle together with the battery, is also used in BMW’s battery-powered and plug-in hybrid models. The fuel cell systems are under the front hood of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen and have been manufactured in BMW’s own hydrogen competence center in Garching north of Munich since August of this year , you wouldn’t look at the BMW iX5 Hydrogen that it gets its power from a hydrogen fuel cell under the hood. Neither while driving. And not in the interior either – and that’s the really surprising thing. The iX5 Hydrogen dashes forward silently. 374 hp from a standstill are also a statement for a 2.5-ton SUV. The energy for the propulsion is generated by the reaction of hydrogen with the oxygen in the air, and pure water is produced as a waste product. The hydrogen cars I’ve driven so far don’t offer much space. The Toyota Mirai in particular is extremely wasteful (even in its second generation!) with an exterior length of just under 5 meters – there is no more space inside than in a VW Polo, even the driver and front passenger are cramped. Not to mention the back seat. No restrictions due to the drive Completely different in the BMW iX5. The space available here corresponds to that of the plug-in hybrid variant, there are no restrictions for the occupants. Only the trunk is a bit flatter than with the combustion engines, the storage space underneath is completely absent except for a small compartment because the high-voltage battery is located there. The two 700 bar pressure tanks are under the rear seats and in the tunnel. They can be filled with around six kilograms of hydrogen in three to four minutes. “We are further developing the tanks so that they fit into the battery box,” explains Jürgen Guldner, Head of BMW Group Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology and Vehicle Projects. “It sounds strange, but the code name of the project is: The round has to go into the square.” In fact, instead of two large tanks, several small tanks – comparable to compressed air bottles for divers – will be used in the future, which will be housed next to each other. In principle, it should be like this, ” that each of our vehicles with electric drive can also be operated with a hydrogen fuel cell. Battery electrics and hydrogen electrics will complement each other. It will be the same architecture, only the energy will be stored in the form of molecules in one case and in the form of electrons in the other,” enthuses Guldner. A hydrogen i4 would also be conceivable, but it has not yet been specifically planned. However, the efficiency is different. While a battery-electric drive achieves over 90 percent, the fuel cell is a good 60 percent – which is twice as good as a combustion engine. The so-called “New Class”, BMW’s new electric car architecture of the future, on which new BMWs from 2025 are to be built, will in any case also be designed for hydrogen propulsion. As an aside: According to Guldner, combustion engines can also be used here in the future. Most powerful car hydrogen drive on the market Guldner is very proud of the drive, because the fuel cells themselves are built by cooperation partner Toyota, but “there is a lot of BMW engineering in it Drive”. The Munich-based company assembles cells into a so-called stack, and the entire system, including cooling, air supply and compressor, is developed in-house. The result is “the world’s most powerful fuel cell for passenger cars”. It delivers 125 kW/170 hp and not only charges the high-voltage battery, but can also feed the electric motor directly. If the entire available power is called up, another 150 kW are added from the battery – making 275 kW/374 hp system power. The electric motor is also used in the BMW iX or the iX3, among other things. In overrun and braking phases, it takes on the function of a generator that feeds energy into a power battery. Prepared for the future Series production including sale to end customers is not currently planned, says Guldner. There are still too few hydrogen filling stations and too little green hydrogen. Initially, a small series is planned, which will not be sold. “We want to be ready to master the technology, so we’re making the small fleet of test vehicles so we know how the vehicles behave in everyday use. We are preparing the new class for this and are then armed, depending on how the markets develop.” He expects the breakthrough of hydrogen technology before the end of this decade. “We think that for some of our customers, the hydrogen drive will be better electromobility, better emission-free mobility.” have no access to an e-charging infrastructure”. The number of hydrogen filling stations must of course be increased significantly. “The EU Commission wants a hydrogen filling station to be located every 150 kilometers throughout Europe,” says Guldner confidently. The costs for the technology are also expected to drop steeply, “because – unlike diesel – the technology for trucks and cars is the same”. be ready.
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