The BMW X5 will be the first hydrogen-powered vehicle on the market in 2022. BMW’s decision to use hydrogen fuel cells is seen as a better alternative to traditional battery-powered vehicles. It may also serve as a stepping stone to the era of pure electric vehicles.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, unlike traditional electric cars, generate their own electricity. Within the fuel cells, a chemical reaction occurs between hydrogen and oxygen, which produces electricity. Aside from energy, the reaction produces pure water as a by-product.
Instead of storing energy in large batteries under the floor, BMW uses a pair of tanks that can accommodate up to 6-kg of hydrogen and can withstand 700-bar pressure to keep the gas inside. This not only ensures a renewable energy source, but it also cuts the recharge/refueling period in half as compared to a traditional battery-powered vehicle.
The machine does, however, also use a battery. One of the reasons for this setup is that BMW’s new fuel cell system can only produce 170 horsepower. BMW, on the other hand, will use a 374bhp electric motor for propulsion by using a battery pack. BMW engineers may also use brake recovery technology to recover energy lost during braking thanks to this complex device.
BMW’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will be piloted as a limited series based on the BMW X5, but it will not be available to the general public until the second half of 2022.
