Ahead of its 2028 FCEV launch with Toyota, BMW is preparing a new system that is 25% more compact, delivers higher power density and efficiency, and integrates more easily into future models, combining Toyota components within BMW’s own system architecture.
Full series production will begin at the auto major’s Steyr facility in Austria in 2028, supported by new test rigs and production facilities.
BMW’s Landshut, Germany, plant will supply key components, including the hydrogen-specific BMW Energy Master control unit, with prototypes due from 2026 ahead of ramp-up.
Meanwhile, the Munich competence centre will continue prototyping and validation to ensure the system meets industrialisation, scalability and quality standards before rollout.
“The launch of the first-ever fuel cell production model from BMW in 2028 will add another exceptionally efficient high-performance drive system with zero emissions to our technology-open product portfolio,” explained Joachim Post, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development.
“The choice of Steyr as the production location clearly demonstrates our commitment to a European innovation footprint.”
In 2014, a Toyota-supplied fuel cell system was tested in a 535iA prototype, marking the start of its hydrogen journey.
The partnership continued in 2023 with the iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet, powered by 125kW Toyota fuel cells.
Despite continued OEM interest, falling sales, weak infrastructure, and policy shifts highlight the challenged future of hydrogen passenger vehicles, raising doubts over whether they will ever move beyond a niche role alongside battery electrics.
Can hydrogen cars still drive the future of mobility?
BMW’s September announcement that it would launch a series-produced hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) in collaboration with Toyota was bound to catch the eye of many.
The German automotive giant said it would work with Toyota on jointly developing a powertrain system for passenger vehicles that would be used in their own distinct models.
Following on from the iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet that has undergone testing in various geographies, BMW Chairman, Oliver Zipse, claimed the effort would “herald an era of significant demand for FCEVs.”
While collaborations like BMW and Toyota’s signal continued commitment to hydrogen technology, the broader market context paints a more complex picture, with several challenges blurring the rationale of hydrogen mobility.
For decades, interest in hydrogen cars has waxed and waned. Early enthusiasm in the 1990s and 2000s was driven by the potential of reaping the benefits of a zero-emission solution, with little change to the behaviours of gasoline car users.
H2 View subscribers can continue reading here.