BMW road testing a hydrogen fuel cell car

BMW is road testing the i Hydrogen NEXT SUV, set for launch in 2022. Photos: BMW

Just after Land Rover announced it’s testing a prototype hydrogen Defender, BMW has revealed it has created I Hydrogen NEXT. 

The BMW i Hydrogen NEXT is a pure electric vehicle that uses hydrogen as fuel by converting it into electricity in a fuel cell. 

The recently launched testing programme will pave the way for the BMW Group to present a small-series model with this sustainable drive technology, developed on the basis of the BMW X5, in late 2022. 

BMW’s engineers are doing everyday road test on the i Hydrogen NEXT.

Extensive field testing of these vehicles will provide practical experience in the use of this sustainable drive technology.

“Hydrogen fuel cell technology can be an attractive option for sustainable drive trains – especially in larger vehicle classes,” according to Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Development. 

“That is why road testing of near-standard vehicles with a hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain is an important milestone in our research and development efforts.”

Like the fuel tank of a conventional combustion-engine model, the hydrogen tank of the BMW i Hydrogen NEXT can also be filled within three to four minutes with a fuel that ensures a range of several hundred kilometres in all weather conditions.