Preparation is underway at BMW Group’s Plant Steyr for the start of series production of fuel-cell-powered vehicles. The first prototypes are already being prepared at the company’s competence centers in Munich and Steyr, where production will be concentrated.
Joachim Post, Member of the Board for Development at BMW AG, said that with the launch of the company’s first series-produced BMW fuel-cell model in 2028, BMW will expand its portfolio with another highly efficient, zero-emission solution.
BMW has a solid track record in hydrogen mobility: the first-generation fuel-cell system was supplied by Toyota in 2014, and the second generation debuted in the BMW iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet. For the new generation, BMW has developed the overall system itself while Toyota will again supply individual fuel cells.
The third-generation system is significantly optimized: the fuel-cell system’s packaging volume has been reduced by about 25% thanks to a substantial increase in power density. It can be integrated into a wide range of vehicle architectures — from passenger cars to commercial vehicles — and promises greater range and power with lower energy consumption compared with its predecessor.
BMW Group is determined to scale hydrogen propulsion from a niche experiment to a mass-production solution. The fuel-cell system includes not only the cells themselves but also all necessary subsystems for cooling, hydrogen management and air supply, ensuring the performance and safety standards associated with BMW.
