2024 BMW iX5 Hydrogen G05 pilot fleet launches
BMW is presenting international media representatives with the first vehicles in a pilot fleet that will go into service this year. After four years of development work, the iX5 Hydrogen G05 vehicle and development project is entering its critical next phase.
The fleet of under 100 vehicles will then be employed internationally for demonstration and trial purposes for various target groups. This active driving experience will therefore be the first chance for people not involved in the development process to gain a direct impression of what the iX5 Hydrogen G05 has to offer. The iX5 Hydrogen developed on the basis of the current X5 was first unveiled as a concept at the IAA show in 2019. Initial prototypes were then made available at the IAA Mobility 2021 for visitors to experience in action as shuttle vehicles.
In combination with a highly integrated drive unit using fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology (the electric motor, transmission and power electronics are grouped together in a compact housing) at the rear axle and a power battery with lithium-ion technology developed specially for this vehicle, the powertrain channels maximum output of 401hp onto the road. In coasting overrun and braking phases, the motor also serves as a generator, feeding energy back into a power battery.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen G05 is being built in the BMW Group’s pilot plant at its Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) in Munich. This is the interface between development and production where every new model from the company’s brands is made for the first time. Around 900 people work there in the body shop, assembly, model engineering, concept vehicle construction and additive manufacturing.
The hydrogen needed to supply the fuel cell is stored in two 700-bar tanks made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). Together these hold almost six kilograms of hydrogen, enough to give the BMW iX5 Hydrogen a range of 313 miles in the WLTP cycle. Filling up the hydrogen tanks only takes three to four minutes – so the BMW iX5 Hydrogen can also provide the driving pleasure for which BMW is renowned over long distances, with just a few, short stops along the way.