Not all car manufacturers today can produce 100% electric cars – actually, some still don’t even offer hybrid variants. BMW, on the other hand, prefers to be on the spearhead of innovation with its hydrogen-powered car lineup.
Small-batch production of these vehicles will begin towards the mid-2020s. Larger models will be the first to get the new engines.
According to BMW CEO Jens Marquardt, the project could be implemented at an earlier date, but the fuel cells remain too expensive for mass-market application. Furthermore, hydrogen refueling stations are also rare – but that, according to Marquardt, is not really a big deal.
BMW has been looking into the problem of the hydrogen-powered transports for quite a while now. The company has been repeatedly trying to ignite hydrogen in regular internal combustion engines and even ended up releasing a limited series of cars based on this principle. In 2004, the BMW H2R debuted with a 12-cylinder hydrogen engine and quickly claimed the title of the fastest-going hydrogen car to date.
Later, BMW has put R&D in this area on hold, preferring instead to concentrate efforts on completely “green” drivetrains based on the principle of hydrogen-power conversion.
Photo: motor1.com