BMW has long considered hydrogen-powered vehicles as an alternative to gas-powered ones. And despite conventional leanings towards electrification, BMW continues to invest in alternatives. They’re not alone – BMW has cooperated with Toyota since early 2013 to pursue greener pastures. Today, BMW announced the beginning of small-series production of its BMW iX5 Hydrogen model. Offering similar efficiency and performance as a comparable PHEV, the iX5 Hydrogen’s production marks a historic landmark for BMW and hydrogen-fueled vehicles.
But this is not BMW’s first foray into the world of hydrogen cars. In 2006 they built the Hydrogen 7, another small series of cars. In case you don’t remember, the E65/66 7 Series had a version that used hydrogen instead of petrol or diesel to get around. It was only built in 100 units and was presented as a sort of experiment to the public, to show that hydrogen can be really be used on passenger cars. The remarkable thing about this vehicle was that it was actually using an internal combustion engine that burned hydrogen instead of getting energy from it via fuel cells.
The Hydrogen 7 was based on the 760Li model and featured two tanks: one for hydrogen and one for gasoline. The 6-liter V12 engine under the hood was modified so that it could use both fuels. Unfortunately, the efficiency the car had on hydrogen was extremely low, returning about 5.6 mpg (50 l/100km) on average, mostly due to the difference in energy density between petrol and hydrogen. The hydrogen range was also fairly low, around 80 kilometers.
In 2013, BMW partnered with Toyota to create the next generation of hydrogen cars – this time using a fuel-cell technology. In 2015, BMW showcased a 5 Series Gran Turismo with a fuel-cell which offered enough space for the large hydrogen tanks. An experimental BMW i8 Hydrogen was also built, but no one outside BMW had a chance to drive it.
Today, BMW is ready to introduce another small fleet of hydrogen car –…
