BMW iX5 Hydrogen SUV to enter production soon. Details here

BMW started working on its hydrogen fuel cell-powered iX5 crossover four years ago, and the automaker has now claimed this EV is about to enter the next critical phase of product development. The first-ever hydrogen crossover from the German luxury car brand is claimed to be ready for production soon. BMW will roll out less than 100 units of this EV and test them with various target groups when the fleet enters service in 2024.

The BMW iX5 Hydrogen crossover is claimed to be capable of churning out 401 hp of peak power and travelling up to 504 kilometres on a single charge. Also, what's very interesting about this hydrogen EV is that the car can be refuelled in around three to four minutes, unlike the lithium-ion battery electric vehicles that take around five to eight hours to be charged.

The hydrogen crossover comes fitted with dual carbon fibre-reinforced plastic tanks that can store almost six kilograms of hydrogen, which allows the EV to sprint to 100 kmph from a standstill position in less than six seconds at a top speed of more than 180 kmph.

The German auto marquee has been sourcing the individual hydrogen fuel cells from Toyota and producing the fuel cell stacks at its in-house hydrogen centre in Munich. The two auto giants have been collaborating on hydrogen fuel cell technology since 2013, under which the new Toyota Supra was rolled out.

BMW will integrate the fuel cell system with its fifth-generation Drive powertrain technology, which includes an electric motor, transmission and specially developed lithium-ion battery pack.

With a keen focus on becoming a significant player in the luxury zero-emission vehicle segment, BMW aims to commence mass production of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles jointly developed with Toyota as soon as 2025.