According to BMW, the car’s fuel cell drive system performed well in the face of temperatures rising to 45°C, as well as sand and dust, varying gradients and significant fluctuations in humidity.
Each vehicle comes with a highly efficient fuel cell system, two hydrogen tanks, an electric motor, battery and central vehicle control unit.
The Munich-based development team examined both the functionality of all the electric systems under the extreme conditions and the provision of the cooling power to enable the full performance of the vehicle.
Vehicles from the pilot fleet are currently in action in Europe, Japan, Korea, China, the USA and the Middle East.
BMW's aim is to shine a spotlight on the everyday usability of hydrogen-powered vehicles, and beyond that to gain important knowledge for the development of a potential series-produced model.
BMW is using the pilot fleet to provide support on a regional level for the development of a refuelling infrastructure which can be used with 700-bar refuelling technology across all categories of vehicle – from passenger cars and small vans to buses and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
Synergies between different areas of application also offer important scope for developing a strong network of suppliers in hydrogen technology and reducing costs.
The iX5 Hydrogen has a fuel cell system generating output of 125 kW/170 hp and an integrated drive unit using fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology (the electric motor, transmission and power electronics are grouped together in a compact housing).
The output of the overall drive system is 295 kW / 401 hp. The hydrogen needed to power the fuel cell is stored in a pair of 700-bar tanks made from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). Together, these tanks can hold around six kilograms of hydrogen. This storage capacity gives the iX5 Hydrogen a range of 504 km in the WLTP cycle.
