At BMW they have converted around one hundred X5s into vehicles with a hydrogen tank and fuel cell. The iX5 Hydrogen aims to be an electric alternative to battery models.
We are in the year 2008. Or 2009. At some point, somewhere around there. That's what Frank Weber, BMW's head of development, says. And he was referring to FCEV technology, electric vehicles with a hydrogen tank and a fuel cell. “FCEVs are today where battery electric cars were in the late 2000s,” explains Weber. An enormous delay, at that time, more than ten years.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is proof that the Bavarian brand is betting on this technology today: it has manufactured a small test fleet of around 100 SUVs to see if this is more than an alternative to the well-known electric cars with large batteries. The current BMW X5 has served as a basis.
Engine and autonomy
With an electric motor from the BMW iX on the rear axle, two hydrogen tanks and the fuel cell (manufactured in collaboration with Toyota), the small power plant in front that converts the hydrogen obtained (preferably with renewable energy) into electricity inside the car .
This electricity should be enough for up to 504 kilometers. Upon entering, I don't find anything unusual. Inside, everything is familiar from the X5, even in the trunk.
Behavior
I start, and at first I don't notice any difference with the usual electric cars. The iX5 Hydrogen weighs around 2.5 tonnes, the same as the plug-in hybrid. The constant power of 170 HP and the maximum of 401 are enough for a glide that is as fluid as it is silent.
Through brake energy recovery, the storage battery can be charged, temporarily providing around that aforementioned 400 horsepower. In Sport mode, this heavy SUV is so much fun that you immediately forget you're sitting on 700-bar hydrogen tanks.
An underused technology
Now I wonder why so few cars of this type are registered in Europe. Only the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Nexo offer these electric cars with hydrogen fuel cells. The most obvious reason: there are too few charging stations.
Added to that is that FCEVs are still too expensive. If the iX5 Hydrogen were actually included in the prices of the standard range, it could easily reach six figures. And then there is, of course, the lower efficiency compared to purely battery electric cars.
In winter there is no loss of autonomy
I consider the hydrogen/fuel cell combination, which speaks in its favor in some aspects: in winter, the range is not reduced. The car is heated with waste heat from the fuel cell, explains Jürgen Guldner, head of hydrogen activities at BMW.
For Frank Weber, the iX5 Hydrogen is also an exercise in balance. On the one hand, the test fleet should clarify how BMW could eventually offer its customers this type of car. On the other hand, the test units “should in no way be a sign that we are deviating from our commitment to the battery electric future.”