BMW is just one of the marques working to develop the future of driving technology. Through the introduction of their i-Series, including the i8 and i3, they’re bringing high performance to environmentally-sustainable drive systems, and at their recent BMW Group Innovation Days event, the next step was unveiled.
For 30 years, BMW has been researching the potential of hydrogen, with the past 15 years spent developing a hydrogen fuel cell drive system that can produce the same performance levels BMW drivers are used to. As a press release July 2 described, that technology is now in the final stages of development, with the goal of having approved components available to the public by 2020.
“The hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) represents a pioneering concept focusing on locally emission-free mobility with hallmark BMW dynamics and a high level of energy efficiency,” described the release, mentioning earlier that the development process achieved some incredible leaps once a 2013 partnership between BMW and Toyota was formed to combine research efforts.
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With 245 hp created by the FCEV on display at the event, based on a 5 Series Gran Turismo, the hydrogen-fueled car is capable of many of the same things gasoline-powered vehicles are. A total range of 300 miles is available, refueling takes less than five minutes and all driving is completely emission-free, releasing only water vapor into the air as hydrogen is consumed.
Of course, a major roadblock preventing the dissemination of this tech to the public is the lack of hydrogen infrastructure in many areas. But BMW and Toyota hope to change those restrictions.
“Hydrogen fuel cell drive system is a future-focused variant of BMW eDrive technology allowing all-electric driving with a high operating range and short refuelling times,” described a caption on the marque’s Facebook page, where they shared eight images from the driving event. “The BMW Group Innovation Days showed a vision of the future.”
Stay with us to learn more about the development of hydrogen fuel cell technologies, and find yourself a gasoline-powered BMW from our exclusive listings.
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(Source: BMW, Facebook)
