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The upcoming BMW iX5 Hydrogen fueled SUV is now undergoing road testing, BMW said today in Munich.* The German government subsidized program** sees BMW Group testing the third-generation fuel cell system and developing a new assembly phase at the Hydrogen Competence Center in Munich. Simultaneously preparations for mass production of the hydrogen fuel cell system are underway at the engine facility in Steyr, Austria.
“Prototype assembly is about much more than manufacturing individual components. Each phase helps us optimize processes, gain experience, and systematically share this knowledge with the teams in Steyr. In this way, we are laying the foundation for the next steps on the road to industrialization,” said Claudia Stephan, head of Technology Development and Fuel Cell Prototype Assembly at the BMW Group.
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Current testing is on validation of the overall system under demanding environmental and operating conditions. [Business as usual for a car company. No WLTP consumption figures are available yet, which are generally are 20-25% higher than U.S. EPA testing results. – AutoCrat.] “The development teams validate the functionality of all components within the integrated vehicle system and optimize the complex control of the systems, even under high loads. The aim is to ensure the full performance capabilities of the drivetrain at all times, while further optimizing BMW’s hallmark driving dynamics in the fuel cell electric vehicle,” BMW said.
“Our ambition for the BMW iX5 Hydrogen is clear: a true BMW – with Sheer Driving Pleasure. A perfectly coordinated overall system is crucial for this. Current testing demonstrates how the fuel cell system, high-voltage battery and electric drive train are already successfully integrated and how systematically we are developing the technology towards series production,” said Josef Hochreiter, head of Hydrogen Vehicles at the BMW Group.
*AutoInformed on
- Bosch Puts Its First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Into Service
- Toyota Joins Tokyo Hydrogen Fuel Venture
- Stellantis Drops Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plan
- BMW Group – Hydrogen is Key Technology for Future
** [The German federal government is providing funding of €191 million. The project is also being (co-)financed by the state of Bavaria with a total of €82 million euros. The funding is administered by Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) and coordinated by NOW GmbH – AutoCrat.]
