BMW fuel-cell vehicle by 2020

BMW plans to bring a large, i-badged hydrogen fuel-cell electric car into its showrooms by 2020.

The BMW board itself is still unsure whether it will be dubbed i6 or i7, but it will definitely be a large, five-seat luxury sports sedan capable of more than 500km of pure electric running for each tank.

It will fill up with liquid hydrogen, stored in a pressurised, cryogenic tank running down the middle of the car, in a slightly larger space than a transmission tunnel currently uses to drive the rear wheels.

BMW's first FCEV will expand its i-brand line-up to four vehicles, with the second-generation i3 due in 2019, the i8 sports car in its final years and the all-electric/plug-in hybrid i5 sedan in the thick part of its model cycle.