BMW iX5 Hydrogen

Hydrogen-fuelled, zero-emissions SUV could be sold alongside e 75,000 est)

- Claire Evans

ONE CAN HAVE a dream, but two can make the dream so real. As the Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston classic says, it takes two. And that’s something BMW has taken on board in its ambition for a zero-emissions future.

The BMW iXx5 Hydrogen is part of the brand’s plan to offer not only regular battery-electric cars, but also ones that get their electricity from hydrogen. The idea is that hydrogen fuel cell cars will be a better fit for those who can’t fit their life around regularly charging a battery.

You see, refuelling a hydrogen-powered car takes just a few minutes. That hydrogen, in liquid form, is reacted with oxygen to produce electricity, and the only emission is water.

The first car to properly showcase BMW’s hydrogen technology is the iX5. As the name suggests, it’s an electric version of the X5 SUV, and this version takes its current from a hydrogen fuel cell, with a full tank being enough for an official range of 313 miles.

The ix5 Hydrogen uses a revised version of the motor from the larger BMW ix electric luxury SUV, but its battery is much smaller because the fuel cell can power it directly.