FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: BMW iHydrogen NEXT unveiled

BMW continues to dabble in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (FCEV) technology, unveiling its first such concept car — the BMW iHydrogen NEXT — at this year’s Frankfurt motor show overnight.

Apart from previewing a limited-production FCEV based on the X5 in 2022, BMW’s latest NEXT concept appears to wear the same aggressive front fascia design seen on the upcoming BMW X4 M during testing at the Nurburgring.

Other distinguishing features of the BMW iHydrogen NEXT include iBlue patterning on the bonnet and across the front-end, as well as blue detailing on its wheels, a blanked off rear diffuser and concealed exhaust outlet.

According to some reports, the X5-based FCEV concept has a driving range of between 490 and 595km, thanks to hydrogen fuel tanks -- located under the rear seat and in the centre tunnel -- that can be refilled in around four minutes.

At the heart of the iHydrogen concept is a fuel-cell stack jointly developed by BMW and Toyota as part of an industrial agreement inked in 2013. It combines stored hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen to produce electricity for a "very powerful" electric motor driving the rear wheels, with water vapour being the only emission.

BMW is expected to trial a fleet of BMW X5 powered by its next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell drive system by 2022, before offering FCEVs to the public on a larger scale by 2025, although it says that timing “very much depends on market requirements and overall conditions”.

The uptake of FCEVs like the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo is yet to take off, with no examples yet on sale in Australia due to a lack of infrastructure, but BMW says hydrogen vehicles are an important future alternative and addition to battery-electric vehicles.

BMW Group (including MINI) claims to have sold more electrified vehicles in Germany than any other brand this year and, including plug-in hybrid and pure battery-powered models, expects to have sold a million electrified vehicles by 2021.

Among them will be the 2021 BMW iX3, powered by the company’s fifth-generation e-drive system that BMW promises will not use any rare earth metals and will employ cobalt purchased directly from mines in Australia and Morocco.

“As we have announced earlier, by 2023, we will have 25 electrified models in our portfolio. Half of those will be fully electric,” said BMW chairman Oliver Zipse at Frankfurt.

“[But] Electric vehicles can only make a real contribution to climate protection when the entire value chain is sustainable.

“Alongside fully electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids are an effective way to reduce emissions sustainably. They are the perfect solution for customers who want to drive emission-free in cities, and want to have ease of mind for longer trips.

“Fuel-cell technology could also be a real solution for long distances in the future, and of course, we are working on this intensively. In 2022, we will be launching a fleet of fuel-cell vehicles.”