The Bavarian automaker reckons that a production SUV based on its iX5 Hydrogen Concept (see video) should be available for purchase as soon as 2028. It will arrive packing the latest tech in energy storage and conversion, and will rival the best EVs in range and top-up speed.
One of the biggest achievements of the model comes in the shape of something called “hydrogen flat storage”. It is essentially a damage-resistant hard frame holding seven carbon-fiber reinforced hydrogen gas tanks. Each tank can store up to a kilogram of the gas at a peak pressure of 700 bar. Next-generation fuel cells convert this amount of hydrogen into 750 kilometers (466 miles) of all-electric driving, and pumping the tanks full again only takes five minutes.
Customers who choose to buy the new BMW iX5 Hydrogen may look forward to a full set of Neue Klasse benefits, including the company’s “Heart of Joy” on-board computer designed to make electric driving engaging and emotional. Price should be another strong point, because Hydrogen Flat Storage mimics the shape of a traditional fuel tank and can therefore be installed on the same assembly line as the four other powertrains BMW plans to deliver the next X5 lineup with. No costly special equipment, no unnecessary premiums. Of course, the company won’t just tell us this early on how much it expects it to cost.
More details on the new BMW X5 lineup should be revealed this summer.
