BMW (BMWYY) believes the way forward for electrical autos shouldn’t be all about batteries; it also needs to embody hydrogen gas cells, a promising clear vitality answer that has struggled to search out industrial success. Earlier this month, the German carmaker introduced a partnership with Toyota to construct a client hydrogen fuel-cell automobile by 2028. Whereas it’s not the primary time BMW has labored on hydrogen know-how (it’s truly been creating it because the Nineteen Seventies), the Toyota partnership, introduced forward of BMW’s sequence of occasions at Local weather Week in New York final month, helped bolster a full of life dialogue across the challenges dealing with widespread adoption of hydrogen gas cells, most significantly an absence of hydrogen vegetation and fueling stations throughout the nation.
Within the U.S., BMW has been working a small fleet of check iX5 SUVs powered by hydrogen gas cells for the previous couple of years, racking up round 600,000 km (almost 375,000 miles) of on-the-road expertise, in keeping with the corporate.
“BMW regularly follows a technology-openness strategy and sees hydrogen because the lacking piece for finishing the electrical mobility puzzle, the place battery electrical drive programs should not an optimum answer,” Alexander Bilgeri, BMW’s vice chairman of company communications, human sources, manufacturing, buying and sustainability, mentioned at one of many BMW occasions at this yr’s Local weather Week.
BMW is trying to supply patrons a variety of decisions for various powertrains. It has designed the Neue Klasse autos, which will likely be constructed on the firm’s plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, to have the ability to have both a battery or hydrogen gas cell powertrain. “We make the hydrogen cells match into the battery design house,” Guldner mentioned.
Whereas BMW gained’t be the primary to market with a hydrogen gas cell automobile (Toyota’s Mirai takes that accolade), it’s the first luxurious carmaker to take action. Hyundai provides a hydrogen fuel-cell NEXO SUV that’s been in manufacturing since 2018. Honda is providing a hydrogen-powered CR-V for 2025. Nikola, an electrical truck startup, is within the early levels of producing a industrial semi-truck powered by hydrogen gas cells.
Hydrogen gas cells’ infrastructure downside
Gasoline cell electrical autos, also called FCEVs, generate electrical energy through a chemical response between hydrogen and oxygen that takes place in a gas cell, and the electrical energy powers a automobile’s electrical motor. Extra vitality is saved in a small battery. Water is the one emission, so it’s completely clear.
FCEVs don’t have the “charging nervousness” downside of battery EVs. They’re fueled equally to conventional gasoline automobiles. Shoppers pull as much as a pump, swipe their bank card, fill their tank with hydrogen (quite than gasoline or diesel), which solely takes a couple of minutes, and proceed on their approach. Hydrogen is far more environment friendly than gasoline, and the FCEVs available on the market presently have greater than 300 miles of EPA-rated vary.
But, sourcing reasonably priced and clear hydrogen and an absence of fueling stations have prevented the know-how from taking off. Most hydrogen at the moment is called gray, black or brown as a result of it’s produced utilizing fossil fuels. Inexperienced or clear hydrogen is comprised of renewable sources. Hydrogen autos are presently solely bought in California, the place there are very restricted fueling stations, principally within the southern components of the state.
A lot of the infrastructure continues to be in its very nascent levels (and crumbling), and the present worth (on the pump) for hydrogen gas (measured in kilograms, which is the vitality equal to a gallon of gasoline) is round $20 to $30 per kilogram.
Finally month’s Local weather Week occasions, BMW introduced collectively tutorial and company consultants to debate these hurdles and map a path ahead for the know-how. Their plan hinges on “hydrogen hubs” which can be slowly being constructed out to assist industrial trucking. As soon as these hubs are up and working, light-duty and client autos can merely tag onto the programs.
But, consultants like Jason Munster, the founding father of the hydrogen advising agency CleanEpic, and Lewis Fulton, the director of the Power Futures program on the College of California, Davis, famous that, till hydrogen gas cell trucking infrastructure comes on-line, client gas cell autos will battle to realize market share. In line with the consultants, constructing out hydrogen infrastructure requires a special strategy than battery EVs, the place some corporations (like Tesla) personal a whole community of charging stations. “[Hydrogen] actually goes to take extra collaboration going ahead. Vertical integration with one firm doing all the things shouldn’t be the reply,” Munster advised Observer.
Whereas greater than $7 billion has been allotted for constructing out hydrogen hubs underneath Biden’s Inflation Discount Act, Munster mentioned there’s an absence of readability on how the tax credit and funding for clear hydrogen will work. Fulton estimates that the hubs will begin working by 2027 and be linked by 2030. However even when all goes in keeping with the plan, he added, hydrogen fueling stations is not going to be extensively obtainable till 2040.
For context, a single hydrogen fueling station prices round $2 million to construct, in keeping with the Division of Power. Hydrogen additionally needs to be produced on-site due to transportation restrictions, Munster famous. A small-scale hydrogen plant is estimated to value between $10 and $50 million.
Juergen Guldner, the overall venture supervisor of BMW’s hydrogen know-how and automobile initiatives who’s been main the pilot program testing iX5s in additional than 20 international locations, famous that it’s not a contest between battery EVs and hydrogen gas cell autos, however quite “extra of a complimentary know-how for individuals who can’t use battery electrical automobiles.”
“On the finish of the day,” Guldner advised Observer, “hydrogen combines the perfect of each worlds. We’ve all the benefits of electrical driving and the potential of utilizing a automotive like folks have used automobiles for the final hundred years.” Whereas BMW is committing to a client fuel-cell automobile in 2028, how lengthy it’s going to take to get to a spot the place hydrogen fueling stations are as ubiquitous and straightforward to make use of as gasoline stations stays to be seen.
