The BMW Group has been researching into hydrogen since 1979. Now, 45 years on, we play a leading role in this technology and can reflect on remarkable milestones, premieres and records.

The hydrogen adventure began in 1979 with a BMW 520. Working closely with the German Aerospace Research Centre (DFVLR, now DLR), this first-generation BMW 5 Series (E12) was converted into a test vehicle running on hydrogen instead of petrol. The modified four-cylinder engine demonstrated that hydrogen can also power a combustion engine, laying the foundation for future developments. Its fuelling system was as large as those seen in racing cars at the time and took up the entire boot space. Subsequent generations of hydrogen test cars were designed to be vehicles that would set records and be remembered – not only on the road, but also as works of art.

Just one year after starting research into hydrogen as a fuel, the BMW Group presented a first-generation BMW 7 Series (E23) that ran on liquid hydrogen. The hydrogen was stored at an extremely low temperature of -253°C. Fitted with a specially insulated 93-litre tank, the vehicle managed to achieve a range of around 300 kilometres. This project demonstrated that using hydrogen in liquid form as a fuel was feasible from a technological standpoint, taking hydrogen research to the next dimension.

In 1987, the BMW Group acquired a 10% shareholding in Solar-Wasserstoff-Bayern GmbH to research using solar energy to produce hydrogen. This investment culminated in a model for green hydrogen production – and that was 36 years ago. Even back in those days, we were convinced that one technology alone is not enough to master all the challenges of climate-neutral mobility – and our conviction about this is even stronger today.

We developed another hydrogen prototype in 1988 entirely on our own based on the second generation of the BMW 7 Series 735iA (E32), this time with a much smaller tank. This vehicle could run with both petrol and liquid hydrogen fuelling an internal combustion engine. A true milestone in dual utilisation of hydrogen and conventional fuels, which consolidated our position as a pioneer in this field of research.

The BMW Group presented the BMW 750hL, the world’s first hydrogen-powered 12-cylinder car, at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. The BMW 750hL set new standards in hydrogen mobility, boasting a range of around 350 kilometres and a refuelling time of just three minutes to fill the 140-litre tank.

It was the first hydrogen-powered vehicle to be built in small series for demonstration purposes. The test fleet travelled a total of more than four million kilometres, equating to five times the distance from the earth to the moon and back.

On 11 May 2000, the very first hydrogen car hit the streets of Berlin, carrying another world premiere: for the first time, a fuel cell solution was used as an alternative power source to the 12-V battery. Several of these vehicles were used as a shuttle service during EXPO 2000.

The hydrogen-powered V12 engine was also used in a test vehicle, the BMW H2R. Its six-litre, twelve-cylinder engine produced more than 210 kW/285 hp, accelerating the sporty car from 0 to 100 km/h in around six seconds. The BMW H2R set no less than nine speed records for the new technology – its top speed of 302.4 km/h being one of them. 

At the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show, the BMW Group presented the BMW Hydrogen 7 (E68), the world’s first hydrogen-driven luxury sedan to have successfully completed the series development process. Celebrities such as Edward Norton and Brad Pitt tested the vehicle, giving a further boost to the acceptance and interest in hydrogen technology.

Shortly afterwards, in 2007, Ólafur Elíasson, one of the foremost figures in contemporary art and an artist strongly committed to greater sustainability, transformed the 2004 BMW H2R into BMW Art Car #16. He encased the vehicle in an ice structure that cocooned it in a fixed space so that the ice coat would not melt. The number of visitors in the room was also limited for this reason. Elíasson intended this art project to be understood as a metaphor for global warming and demonstrated the close connection between technology, art and environmental awareness.

In 2013, the BMW Group entered into a partnership with Toyota to create a fuel cell system to power cars. This resulted in the presentation at the 2017 Hanover Motor Show of a BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo equipped with the 1st generation fuel cell supplied by Toyota.

Production of the 2nd generation fuel cell system began in August 2022 in our hydrogen centre of excellence in Garching near Munich. 2023 saw us unveiling the BMW iX5 Hydrogen to the world, a ground-breaking electric vehicle that embodies the latest hydrogen technology and offers all the benefits of electric driving – silent gliding and powerful acceleration. All this coming with some impressive numbers: a range of up to 504 kilometres, an electric motor output of 295 kW/401 hp and a refuelling time of just three to four minutes.

With a fleet of less than one hundred vehicles, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen has set out to conquer the world of hydrogen: the vehicles covered almost one million kilometres in more than 20 countries in their first year. The iX5 hydrogen world tour has raised awareness of the important role hydrogen has to play in the energy transition, not only in terms of mobility, but on a broader scale as well. The key to our success here is the way we work with scientific institutions, local interest groups and key opinion leaders. More and more countries are now also pursuing comprehensive hydrogen strategies, generating a steadily growing interest in hydrogen mobility applications.

The BMW iX5 Hydrogen’s fuel cell system not only provides proof of our technological openness, but also impressively demonstrates the expertise the BMW Group has developed in electric drive technologies. The vehicle showcases hydrogen’s potential for the future of mobility and once again reinforces the BMW Group as a pioneer in this technology.