Fuel-cell electric cars assemble in Canberra

In a rare joint outing, the Toyota Mirai, Hyundai NEXO and BMW iX5 Hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have been lined up alongside each other at parliament house in Canberra this morning.

The prototype BMW, freshly arrived in Australia, joined the production Toyota and Hyundai FCEVs for an Australian Hydrogen Council event attended by federal climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen.

Dr Juergen Guldner, general manager of the global BMW Group’s hydrogen program, also attended the event and follow-up meetings as part of his whistlestop local tour.

Two iX5 Hydrogen prototypes will stay in Australia until the end of the year to serve promotional and some testing duties.

The Mirai and NEXO have both been in Australia since 2021 and are available to Australian fleet and government buyers on a lease basis.

But unlike Australia’s growing line-up of battery-electric vehicles, they are not offered to individual customers because of a lack of local refuelling infrastructure.

It’s not the first time these three FCEVs have been assembled together, with the iX5 Hydrogen, Mirai and NEXO appearing at a recent global hydrogen council meeting.

Speaking earlier this week, Guldner told carsales that government support was critical for the development of a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure that would make FCEV passenger vehicles practical in Australia.

“All the ingredients are here, it just takes the will,” he said. “Such a topic always needs some support from the government and some public support.

“The government says yes this is part of our strategy and we want this and we help industry create it and we put together the conditions industry needs to create this.

“The first go-to thing from government is put out funding and support the industry by that.”

As recently as the May budget, the federal government has announced billions of dollars in hydrogen investment in areas such as refining and infrastructure development.

Currently there are only a handful of FCEV refuelling stations in Australia and only a handful more under development.

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