BMW iX Hydrogen enters final winter testing phase

BMW iX Hydrogen has entered the final winter testing phase programme at the BMW testing centre in Arjeplog, northern Sweden. BMW shared the integrated functional testing of the fuel cell system, hydrogen tanks, central vehicle control unit and peak power battery has confirmed that the car can provide the driver with comfort as well as performance, even in extreme sub-zero temperatures.

With the ice and snow in and around Arjeplog, the company shared BMW iX Hydrogen has undergone multiple sessions on test rigs and in-depth field testing. BMW conveyed the car's hydrogen fuel cell drive system demonstrated the same everyday usability as a conventional internal combustion engine in the extreme winter. Despite the biting cold, the drive system offered a full operating range. Refilling the car's hydrogen tanks took only three to four minutes in such conditions highlighting its refuelling efficiency.

Jurgen Guldner, Vice President of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology and Vehicle Projects at the BMW Group said regardless of the time and temperature, the hydrogen fuel cell drive system will give the driver the experience of a smooth drive without any hiccups. “It offers the locally emission-free mobility of an electric vehicle and the unrestricted everyday usability – including short refuelling stops – familiar from models with an internal combustion engine," added Guldner. Frank Weber, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development conveyed the testing of BMW iX Hydrogen in -20 degree Celcius temperature showcases the car's performance capacity and hence it is a viable alternative to a vehicle powered by a battery-electric drive system.

BMW iX Hydrogen boasts a fuel cell technology with an electric motor using fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology. The hydrogen that the car uses as an energy source is stored in two 700-bar tanks made from carbon fibre-reinforced plastic. The fuel cell then converts the hydrogen into electric power that generates an output of 170 hp that mixes with the power churned by an electric motor that leading to a total power output of 374 hp. The only emission released by the fuel cell is water vapour and its waste heat is harnessed to warm the car’s interior, shared BMW.