BMW Hydrogen, further active contribution to the transition

In addition to BMW’s commitment to the electrification of mobility and the reduction of CO2 emissions related to industry, supplies and the vehicle throughout its entire life cycle, the Munich Group is working to contribute to decarbonisation through Fuel technology cell electric vehicle (Fcev). BMW considers FCev technology as a potential completion of what can be achieved with the propulsion systems of battery-powered electric vehicles, also because what changes are the energy vector connected to the engine and the fact that the battery itself – which has the function of buffer and power peak management, and not energy ‘storage’ – it can be much smaller than a BEV of similar performance.
Moreover, according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), hydrogen offers considerable potential as a future energy source in relation to global transition activities. Thanks to its storage and transport capabilities, hydrogen can be used for a wide variety of applications and does not involve problems or costs other than electric charging stations for the constitution of the distribution network. This is why, it was underlined during the presentation event of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen in Antwerp, that most industrialized countries are adopting hydrogen strategies which are supported with detailed roadmaps and concrete projects.
In the transport sector, hydrogen can become a further technological option, alongside battery-electric mobility, to shape long-term sustainable individual mobility. However, this will depend on the competitive production of sufficient quantities of hydrogen from green energy, as well as the expansion of related fueling infrastructure, which is already being intensively pursued in many countries.
The BMW Group welcomes and supports activities to promote those innovation initiatives and projects which in Germany and Europe will help build a hydrogen economy and accelerate the production of so-called Green Hydrogen. These projects include in particular the large-scale production and distribution programs which are like Ipicei (important projects of common European interest). These are initiatives supported in Germany by the Federal Ministry of Economy and the Federal Ministry of Transport, and which cover the entire value chain – from hydrogen production to transport to industrial applications – of hydrogen.
As reiterated in the study ‘Comparative Analysis of Infrastructures for Germany by FZ Jülich’ presented by BMW in Antwerp, it is also necessary to evaluate the differences and opportunities offered by the hydrogen strategy in the medium and long term.
In the initial phase, the creation of distribution infrastructures and the production of energy (electricity or green hydrogen) is favorable to the BEV solution.
But in the medium and long term the progression – which is not linear – shows that as the number of electric vehicles on the roads increases, large (and very large) investments are required for the production of energy and its management on the grid. While spending on hydrogen remains constant once optimal levels are reached. The ‘inversion’ point of convenience between Bev and FCev is around 10 million units in circulation (on German roads) and therefore in a phase that may not be far off.
Under the right conditions, hydrogen fuel cell technology has the potential to become a further pillar in the BMW Group’s drive system portfolio for CO2-free local mobility.