First Drive: BMW iX5 makes a convincing case for hydrogen

The story of BMW and hydrogen begins in 2005 with the limited-production BMW 7 Series Hydrogen. The car was based on a conventional petrol-powered BMW 760Li.  

The latest hydrogen model has an iX5 badge and it too is created from a regular X5 SUV. I flew to Belgium to drive the planet-friendly car and meet the team that developed it. 

How it works 

Hydrogen is a colourless, odourless, tasteless but highly combustible gas which combines with oxygen to form water. It rarely occurs naturally as a gas on Earth but can be generated from oil and biomass, or by splitting water molecules in electrolysis. It can also be had in liquid form but this process requires it to be cooled to below −253°C, which is impractical for mobility requirements. 

The iX5 has an electric motor powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, instead of batteries as in a regular electric vehicle. The cell converts the hydrogen stored in tanks into electricity, which is sent to a single, 125kW electric motor driving the rear wheels. Unlike a zero-emissions BEV, the iX5 emits water vapour from exhaust ports. 

The fuel cell is shared with technology partner Toyota for its hydrogen-powered Mirai, but BMW has been manufacturing its in-house to ensure a signature BMW texture, according to Juergen Guldner, programme manager hydrogen technology at BMW.  

Range anxiety can be tackled through setting up charging stations along road networks, but typical BEVs need at least two hours for a good fill up. Hydrogen slashes refuelling times to three to five minutes.

Infrastructure 

Test drives took place in Antwerp where the manufacturing and distribution of hydrogen is in full swing. A fuelling station at the Port of Antwerp splits the extracts of hydrogen from water and refills cars, trucks and  boats on site.

The BMW iX5 is equipped two hydrogen tanks with a combined capacity of 6kg. In a demonstration it cost €18 (R350) per kilogram, equating to a potential R1,745 to fill up the iX5. 

How does it drive?

The car feels normal to drive. The iX5 cabin is every inch like its conventional cousins, meaning sophisticated luxury and superb ergonomics, except it carries a mini reverse electrolysis lab everywhere it goes.

It has Eco Pro, Comfort and Sport modes which adjust several settings as you cycle through them, including steering weight, ride firmness and sharper accelerator response, backed by a soundtrack from the BMWi electric soundscapes when in Sport mode.  

BMW doesn’t mention performance numbers but there is instant brawn that pins occupants back into their seats. It cruises in typical EV silence when you want and the single-speed transfer case has no shifts. The steering wheels paddles are for the three levels of energy recuperation on the move.  

The rear-wheel-drive car has nippy handling, this being a huge advantage of having lighter gas tanks instead of a heavy rack of batteries.   

Programme manager Guldner says BMW are working on a variant with xDrive, and that incorporating DC charging capability to create a hybrid of sorts is possible.

Our iX5 promised over 500km of range and, based on the 1.2kg/100km average we achieved in mostly urban settings, this claim is within reach. BMW views hydrogen as a viable option alongside full battery electric vehicles going forward.

Guldner says customers who are urban based will be better served by an EV, while those who seek more travelling range will be better served by the fuel-cell electric vehicle .

Challenges

To produce hydrogen from electrolysis and renewable energy sources is a costly and high-energy process. Most of global hydrogen production is derived from fossil fuel sources such as methane gas reforming, which doesn’t please environmental credentials.

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, the organisation representing European-based companies and stakeholders championing carbon neutral economies, was on hand in Antwerp to present the case for hydrogen as a viable power source.

Chatzimarkakis says countries such as Namibia and SA are crucial cogs in the mass manufacturing of hydrogen in the near future, especially with the ban of all fossil fuels in the eurozone come 2035.