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Friday 11 March 2022

(ATB) BMW IX5 HYDROGEN-ELECTRIC IMMINENT

BMW, one of the car industry's strongest proponents of hydrogen technology, is putting a close-to-production prototype called iX5 through its paces in a remote, frozen part of Sweden. It plans to begin building the hydrogen-electric SUV in limited numbers before the end of 2022.

Hydrogen isn't a new item on Munich's powertrain menu; BMW built and tested a small number of hydrogen-powered 7 Series sedans from 2005 to 2007. Much has changed over the past 17 years, however. 

While the big sedans burned hydrogen in an internal combustion engine, the iX5 is fitted with a fuel cell that uses hydrogen stored in a pair of 700-bar carbon fiber tanks to generate electricity that's then sent to a battery pack. The fuel cell develops 170 horsepower, while the same electric motor found in the iX increases the system's total output to 374.

Testing the iX5 near Arjeplog, a town in Sweden that's further north than Fairbanks, Alaska, is a way for engineers to gather data about how the system performs in really cold real-life conditions. So far, the results are positive: 

BMW notes that, even when the thermometer drops to -4 degrees Fahrenheit, the powertrain delivers its full operating range — which certainly can't be said about electric cars — and full performance. autoblog - link - Ronan Glon - link - more like this - link - more like this (Sweden) - link

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