BMW will soon launch a fleet of hydrogen-powered X5s to prove it’s ready for a fuel-cell future.
BMW will distribute fewer than 100 of these globally. Tom Kirkpatrick/BMW
Hydrogen seems to forever be the fuel of the future, but BMW thinks the renewable gas is finally, maybe, hopefully, almost ready for primetime. Perhaps it has something to do with Germany’s recent 9 billion euro investment into hydrogen infrastructure. Or maybe it’s because BMW has been co-developing fuel cell technology with Toyota. Either way, BMW is going to launch a small fleet of iX5 Hydrogen SUVs around the world later this year, and I recently got to sample a prototype at the company’s cold-weather testing facility in the winter wonderland known as Arjeplog, Sweden.
The biggest takeaway from my brief drive is that the iX5 Hydrogen is almost unremarkably normal. That’s not a bad thing; the iX5 feels as comfortable and composed as any other X5 variant, though that really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Toyota knows how to make a fuel cell vehicle drive like a luxury car and BMW has plenty of electric powertrain expertise. Aside from the occasional hum of the fuel cell doing its thing, the iX5 Hydrogen is every bit as serene as I imagine a fully electric X5 would be. And don’t worry, it’s still down to have a good time.
Thanks, rear-wheel drive. Tom Kirkpatrick/BMW
Two 700-bar, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic tanks house the hydrogen onboard, which is converted into electric power inside the fuel cell under the hood. On its own, the fuel cell produces 170 horsepower, which definitely isn’t enough for this porky, 5,600-ish-pound SUV. That’s why BMW also employs a larger electric drive battery, which can be charged via the fuel cell or through energy recuperation (like regenerative braking). Combined, the drivetrain makes 374 hp, which is plenty. For reference, the plug-in hybrid X5 xDrive45e has 389 hp.
A single electric motor sends power to the rear axle, so yes, the iX5 Hydrogen uses rear-wheel drive. That might seem weird for an SUV that’s predominantly offered with all-wheel drive, but BMW said it wanted to focus on getting this single-motor setup right before adding in more complexity. “We know how to do it,” an engineer assured me.
Practically speaking, RWD shouldn’t be prohibitive to the iX5’s public use, especially here in the US, since the vast majority of hydrogen filling stations are relegated to sunny California. Besides, with a meaty set of winter tires and sophisticated traction control tech, the iX5 had no trouble staying surefooted atop a frozen Swedish lake.
Ignore the prototype test equipment and the iX5’s interior is just like any other X5. Tom Kirkpatrick/BMW
Driving the iX5 Hydrogen felt a lot like driving an EV, with strong regenerative braking allowing for one-pedal power management. Not having to hit the brakes during these ice capades helped with overall stability; I could just reduce throttle input slightly to gradually roll off the power. With the traction control fully enabled, it was actually really hard to get the iX5 out of sorts, even during quick right-to-left motions on an icy handling course. Partially disabling the system allowed for controlled bits of oversteer, which is obviously hella fun on a frozen lake, but never came at the expense of sloppy handling. I turned the traction control off at one point, laughed a bunch, spun out and then turned it back on. All in good fun, natch.
I never drove the iX5 Hydrogen on public roads, but I got to ride shotgun for a couple of hours en route to a moose safari (I saw three!). From inside, the iX5 was again totally unsurprising — quiet and serene, just like an X5 should be. Aside from the extra testing equipment installed by BMW’s engineering team, the iX5 Hydrogen’s interior was no different than the existing SUV, save for slightly revised graphics in the digital instrument cluster and a couple of blue accents. The hydrogen fuel cell system in no way affects cabin space, by the way, with a generous cargo area accessible via the X5’s usual split tailgate and a split-folding rear bench to accommodate skis or snowboards or reindeer or other snowy Swedish things.
The exterior design tweaks are similarly minor, with blue accents and closed-off exhaust housings the only dead giveaways that this isn’t your usual X5. Oh, and while the SUV I drove rode on downsized wheels to accommodate the winter tires, the series production iX5 will have larger, more stylized wheels, which you can see in the gallery below.
The X5 is a great donor car for fuel cell power. Tom Kirkpatrick/BMW
There’s not much to talk about in terms of options or pricing, since BMW will build fewer than 100 iX5 Hydrogen SUVs and you won’t actually be able to buy one. Instead, the cars will be given out to potential buyers, influencers, BMW employees and media schlubs like me for testing and promotional purposes, with the intent of gathering data through as many real-world use miles as possible. The automaker plans to distribute the iX5 Hydrogen production run between China, Europe, Japan, South Korea and the United States, and BMW says it has the capacity to build more of these fuel cell SUVs if needed.
So what’s the point, exactly? BMW wants to test the waters and gauge interest before going gung-ho on a full-scale fuel cell vehicle investment. Putting a hydrogen powertrain in something as versatile and comfortable as an X5 makes a lot of sense as an initial test bed, and it shows that BMW can use this powertrain technology in existing vehicle form factors, rather than creating something weird and one-off like a Toyota Mirai.
Whether or not the iX5 Hydrogen leads to a full-on series production car is anyone’s guess at this point, but BMW’s engineers are hopeful the budding infrastructure will move things along. After all, as a renewable resource with quick fueling times, zero emissions (except water vapor) and the ability to provide long driving range, hydrogen still seems like the next big thing for automotive applications. This isn’t BMW’s first foray into the world of fuel cells, but the iX5 proves the automaker is still taking hydrogen seriously. Maybe the fuel of the future finally isn’t so far-fetched after all?
Keyword: 2023 BMW iX5 Hydrogen First Drive Review: More Than Just a Science Project