BMW and Toyota are getting together to develop a hydrogen fuel cell engine and although the vehicle is only coming out in three years’ time in 2028, it’s got the motoring world hopping. The powertrain collaboration will see Toyota’s third-generation fuel stack fitted in an as-yet-unnamed type of vehicle, but it’s speculated that it will be an SUV based on BMW’s Neue Klasse platform.
BMW and Toyota are getting drivers excited about their hydrogen fuel cell partnership
Toyota and BMW announced the German-Japanese collaboration in a joint statement in September 2024, but they didn’t say whether the model would be released for the United States market. They also didn’t offer any information about what kind of car the new propulsion system would be fitted in. BMW needs to overcome the weakness of its EVs’ towing capabilities, and this could be solved with a hydrogen-powered engine.
Motoring enthusiasts are looking at the midsize BMW iX5 Hydrogen SUV as the possible vessel for the fuel cell powertrain. Only around 100 of these models will be coming off the production line, but perhaps more will follow with the new engine system.
BMW’s 2024 iX5 Hydrogen prototype
Vice president of hydrogen vehicles at the BMW Group, Michael Rath, explained the German luxury vehicle powerhouse’s views on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCV), saying they are the same as electric vehicles but with variations in the energy storage mechanism. Rath says that many components of the EV drive system, such as the motors and power electronics, could be the same in both battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
EVs and HFCV systems are complementary rather than competitive, with hydrogen being the more suitable option for long distances, for use in heavier vehicles, and for towing.
Jürgen Guldner, vice president of hydrogen fuel cell technology and vehicle projects at the BMW Group, said:
“Basically, with the X5 Hydrogen FCEV we get around 500 kilometers [310 miles] from a fill. If I put a combustion engine in the same car with the same tank, I wouldn’t even get 300 kilometers [186 miles]. That is the difference between a product we can sell, and a product we cannot sell. At the 500-kilometer [310-mile] mark, and with a refueling time of three to four minutes, I think people will consider making the move to hydrogen.”
In terms of a fuel supply, scientists are finding ways to take advantage of one of the biggest reserves of renewable energy in the known universe. A team of researchers from the United States has made a significant leap in the development of a system that solves one of the biggest challenges of hydrogen production.
Will BMW be going with the Neue Klasse technology for the HFCV?
Michael Rath explained that BMW’s Neue Klasse EV technology, which is going to be used for EVs being produced in Hungary and Mexico this year and in China at some point, could be tweaked to accommodate a fuel cell and hydrogen tanks instead of a battery. The new BMW will run on Toyota’s third-generation fuel cell stack, which is expected to cost 50% less to manufacture and provide 20% more range per fuel weight. This is why the speculations about the HFCV model are aimed at one of the Neue Klasse SUVs.
Which markets are the new BMW hydrogen fuel cell headed for?
The decision on which countries to release the HFCV in is a complicated one. Any market must be able to accommodate a hydrogen vehicle with a “really dense” fueling infrastructure, according to Rath. He illustrated by pointing to Japan, South Korea, and China’s hydrogen fueling stations and remarked on European Union regulations, which mandate the construction of both DC fast-charging stations for EVs and hydrogen stations for fuel-cell vehicles.
It’s clear that hydrogen as a fuel will play a role in energy decarbonization, but it’s not yet assumed that it will have a big role in personal transportation in the future. This is especially true for North America, where installing DC fast-charging stations for EVs every 50 miles or so would be far less expensive than doing the same for hydrogen stations to serve the same number of vehicles.
In other news about Toyota, the Japanese heavy hitter is aiming for the top spot in the 2.0-liter field with a new engine. There’s a feeling in some circles that the ICE’s days are over, but this is clearly not felt by Toyota, whose new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine‘s performance in this early stage is already setting power output benchmarks.