[RahulNagaraj]

BMW has announced that the i Hydrogen NEXT, based on the current-generation X5, will enter small series production in 2022.



The BMW X5 comes with a hydrogen fuel cell e-drive technology. The fuel cell itself is positioned at the front, while the electric motor is placed near the rear axle. This electric motor is said to be the same fifth-generation e-drive that debuted on the BMW iX3.

The fuel cells at the front create a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen (from the ambient air) to produce electricity and water vapour. The fuel cell alone is said to produce 125 kW (170 BHP), which is sent to the electric motor.



In addition, there is also a high-voltage battery which serves as a performance buffer for additional dynamics and acceleration. The drivetrain is said to produce a combined power output of 275 kW (374 BHP).



Apart from this, the BMW i Hydrogen NEXT will also come with two 700-bar CFRP tanks containing up to 6 kg of hydrogen. BMW claims that both the tanks can be filled in just three to four minutes.



BMW states that hydrogen fuel cell technology has a lot of advantages over BEVs (battery electric vehicles). The company also claims FCEVs are better suited for customers who frequently travel long distances, as they offer better flexibility and convenience. Also, refuelling FCEVs can be done in just a few minutes, making it similar to the conventional IC-engine cars of today.

Link to Team-BHP news

[V.Narayan]

Many advantages of hydrogen - most abundant element, only water vapour as a by product, three times the energy density of petrol, can fill up the 'tank' in minutes etc.

The challenges however are many and some like the airship Hindenburg may never have a solution. In a car powered by hydrogen you are basically sitting on a volatile bomb of compressed hydrogen liquid stored in a cryogenic tank. Imagine the explosion in a car crash or in India the risk of hitting the underbelly of the car against a poorly designed speed breaker. We need electricity to make hydrogen first, then more electricity to cool it below minus 252 degrees C or run the risk of storing gaseous hydrogen at very high pressures. Not sure how viable it is to find real world solutions for these challenges for a car or truck. But for green aircraft liquid hydrogen can be a very real answer as an alternate to petroleum.

[Everlearner]

The current EVs are a big disruptor in transportation and reducing pollution(at least in the consumption place). But the challenge is limited availability of lithium which can impact the industry big time. Moreover, Lithium producing countries will have a huge leverage on world car market. There are multiple researches going on to find a replacement for lithium batteries by using sodium, aluminum etc.,

Hydrogen is a perfect future fuel with abundant availability and zero pollution. As mentioned before, the key challenges to tackle will be cost effectiveness in generation and safety in storage and transportation. Once the technology reaches there(which I'm hopeful of), we can do away with EV's.

I'm looking forward to advancement in fuel cell technology.

[sen2693]

An article from BMW on how Hydrogen cars work, their pros and cons. Pretty neat read for a beginner on Hydrogen cars.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/ho...cars-work.html

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The challenges however are many and some like the airship Hindenburg may never have a solution.

First attempt of electric vehicle was around 1832, thankfully we now have the technology to make it practical everyday transport. Hopefully Hydrogen power might lend us a hand once we run out of minerals for batteries, till then car makers can keep refining the method of production, storage and safety.

[volkman10]

BMW plans limited-edition X5 fuel cell vehicles in 2022.

BMW joins Toyota, Honda and Hyundai in its plan to produce production models.

link

[Everlearner]

Originally Posted by sen2693

An article from BMW on how Hydrogen cars work, their pros and cons. Pretty neat read for a beginner on Hydrogen cars.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/ho...cars-work.html

Thanks for the link. It is very informative.

There are n number of variables that need to fall in place for hydrogen vehicles to become mainstream.

I thought hydrogen can be produced using non electrical means as well(chemical?), but it seems the only sustainable way to produce hydrogen is by using electricity. In that case, we are using electricity to produce hydrogen and again use hydrogen to produce electricity to run the motors. This seems quite ineffective and there will be energy loss in multiple conversions. I believe this will only work out if 1 unit of electricity can produce enough hydrogen to generate more than 1 unit, only then it will make sense.

Am I missing something?

[Venkatesh]

BMW X5 Hydrogen Prototype enters road testing phase. BMW confirms that a small-series model will be launched in the market in late 2022.

BMW says a fleet of near-production vehicles is embarking on public road evaluations in everyday conditions around Europe. The engineers and test pilots of the automaker will study the performance of the fuel-cell powertrain, the model-specific chassis technology, and the vehicle electronics systems.

Interior pictures





Source

[Venkatesh]

BMW debuts the iX5 Hydrogen for the public at IAA Mobility 2021.

While BMW envisions fuel cell vehicles in the future, for now, the iX5 will remain a near-production test vehicle.

Source

[Venkatesh]

BMW Group starts building hydrogen fuel cells, a small BMW iX5 Hydrogen series will be produced for testing purposes at the end of this year.















Source

[SKC-auto]

Good luck BMW, mass production within this decade, EV batteries will be 2-3x more energy dense by then. A large SUV with 4 seats, may be small boot space(looking at some components in the rear) in 2030.

BMW plans to produce fewer than 100 iX5 hydrogen vehicles by the end of this year for testing and is “seriously considering” the possibility of mass producing fuel-cell cars within this decade.

Originally Posted by Everlearner

I believe this will only work out if 1 unit of electricity can produce enough hydrogen to generate more than 1 unit, only then it will make sense.

Am I missing something?

Hydrogen is only an energy storage medium like batteries, you will not get more than 1 unit if you put in 1 unit. The problem with HFCVs is the effeciency is 3x less than BEVs, imagine having 3000 acres of solar farm instead of 1000 acres, 300 wind turbines instead of 100.