BMW has started the production lines making electrochemical generators for its future hydrogen fuel cell cars. The first vehicles should be complete by the end of the year.
The innovation necessitated establishing a new engineering HQ on the premises of the factory in Munich, called the BMW Group Battery Cell Competence Centre. However, the company still relies on Toyota to supply it with the most technologically sophisticated and expensive hydrogen fuel cells.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen based on the standard X5 SUV will be the first production vehicle to reach the market. It will get a 170-PS (168-hp / 125-kW) electrochemical generator, a buffer battery for short-term power storage, a couple hydrogen tanks made of composite materials and a single electric motor driving the wheels with 374 PS (369 hp / 275 kW).