BMW winter tests iX5 in Sweden
BMW has started winter testing the iX5 Hydrogen in Sweden before they go into small series production later this year. The focus is especially on performance at temperatures below freezing. Before BMW enters a possible large-scale production, however, it has called for support from politicians; especially when it comes to infrastructure.
Preparations for small-scale production of the model, which was then still called Hydrogen Next, have been ongoing since May 2021, and in the autumn, the car, which was then renamed iX5 Hydrogen, was put on the road at the IAA in Munich.
Compared to Munich, the weather is much harsher at the BMW Group’s test center in Arjeplog in northern Sweden, where the new car must prove itself. During the winter testing, the engineers wanted to ensure the functionality of the fuel cell driveline consisting of the fuel cell system, the hydrogen tanks, the power buffer battery and the central vehicle control unit under adverse conditions.
The result: “Winter testing under extreme conditions clearly shows that the BMW iX5 Hydrogen can also deliver full performance in temperatures of -20 ° C and therefore represents a profitable alternative to a vehicle powered by a battery-powered drive system,” explained Frank Weber, member of the board of development. “In order for us to offer our customers a fuel cell drive system as an attractive sustainable mobility solution, a sufficiently comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure must also be in place.”
If this infrastructure is in place, as it is at the BMW test center, refueling with hydrogen will take “three to four minutes”, as it did in the summer, according to the statement. In addition, “the range was maintained without restrictions in ice cold” and the performance of the entire system was available shortly after launch, BMW concludes.
“The drive system for hydrogen fuel cells combines the best of both worlds of driving, regardless of season and outdoor temperatures: it offers the local emission-free mobility of an electric vehicle and the unlimited everyday usability – including short refueling stops – familiar from internal combustion engine models,” said Jürgen BMW Guldner. Group Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology and Vehicle Projects.
The most important technical data have largely been known since 2020: The hydrogen gas (up to 6 kg) is stored in two 700-bar tanks made of carbon fiber composite material. Toyota’s fuel cell in the engine compartment provides 125 kW, but the e-engine in the rear provides 275 kW. If the electric motor requires more than the 125 kW that the fuel cell can provide, additional power is supplied by the power buffer battery mounted above the electric motor. As in last year’s announcements, BMW does not specify the energy content of the buffer battery or the range of the iX5 Hydrogen.
To enter the costly fuel cell mobility economy, BMW also relies on political support. According to Guldner, the car manufacturer supports the EU’s plans to implement AFIR (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation) for parallel development of hydrogen filling stations and electric charging infrastructure. “We would even like to see an even more ambitious design and earlier implementation,” said Guldner. Instead of a gas station of 700 bar every 150 kilometers until 2027, BMW demands that the distances be shortened to 100 kilometers.
With reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany.