Toyota-BMW partnership to bear first mass-produced FCEV in 2028

As rumored before, BMW and Toyota officially announced their deepened partnership in developing a broader range of hydrogen cars on Thursday 5th of September. The first offspring that the collaboration for the next generation of fuel cell technology will bear is a mass-produced BMW FCEV by 2028.

“The result of this collaborative effort will be utilized in individual models from both BMW and Toyota and will expand the range of FCEV options available to customers, bringing the vision of hydrogen mobility one step closer to reality,” both parties say. But no worries, each will “maintain their distinct brand identities and characteristics, providing them with individual FCEV options to choose from.”

Fuel cells and sports cars

The two companies signed an agreement in December 2011 to establish a mid-long-term cooperative relationship in environmental technology. In a press release, they stated, “having jointly advanced the development of environmental technologies, including fuel cells and sports cars, for over a decade.”

The latter refers to the BMW Z4 and Toyota GR Supra, which share the same platform under a different skin and are assembled by contract builder Magna in Austria. Production will end in 2026, seven years after both sports cars were introduced.

BMW will use a third-generation fuel cell, co-developed with Toyota in the mass-production model from 2028, but it hasn’t yet specified what that one will look like. Starting in 2015, before the official launch of its Mirai hydrogen car, Toyota offered, until 2020, over 5,680 patents relating to hydrogen and fuel cell technology royalty-free to those who wanted to co-develop the technology.

Toyota believed that working with like-minded partners is essential for realizing a hydrogen society and a necessary fueling station network. BMW’s CEO Oliver Zitpse has shared this belief since the beginning of the cooperation.

First ever series produced FCEV

“This is a new milestone in automotive history: the first-ever series production fuel cell vehicle to be offered by a global premium manufacturer. Powered by hydrogen and driven by the spirit of our cooperation, it will underscore how technological progress shapes future mobility,” said Zipse at Thursday’s announcement. “And it will herald an era of significant demand for fuel cell electric vehicles.”

Toyota Motor Corp.’s President Koji Sato remains evenly enthusiastic. “In our long history of partnership, we have confirmed that BMW and Toyota share the same passion for cars and belief in ‘technology openness’ and a ‘multi-pathway’ approach to carbon neutrality.”

“Based on these shared values, we will deepen our collaboration in efforts such as the joint development of next-generation fuel cell systems and the expansion of infrastructure, aiming to realize a hydrogen society.”

100 iX5 Hydrogen test cars

After an intensive testing program, BMW started producing a small series of 100 fuel cell iX5 Hydrogen prototypes in 2022 to be used as a technology demonstrator for crucial clients in selected regions. The prototypes were built in the BMW Group’s pilot plant at its Research and Innovation Center in Munich.

The basic vehicle is an X5 delivered by BMW Group’s Plant in Spartanburg, US. In Munich, a new floor has been created to accommodate the two hydrogen tanks in the center tunnel and under the rear seats. The fuel cell system under the hood has been manufactured at BMW’s in-house competence center for hydrogen in Garching to the north of Munich.

The model-specific 12-V and 400-V electrical systems, high-performance battery, electric motor, and fuel cell are all integrated during the assembly stage. The electric motor on the rear axle is a product of the fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology employed in battery electric and plug-in hybrid models from BMW.

A consortium of German heavyweights led by BMW started in 2022, developing a flat tank for storing hydrogen at 700 bar that can be mounted in a car’s underbody, like batteries for a BEV, as an alternative to today’s bulky H2 tanks.

That will leave BMW with the option of using a common platform for both technologies in the future. Hydrogen cars can offer longer ranges and are better suited to tow heavy loads than BEVs today.

Hippest thing to drive

At that time, Zipse declared that “in the future, hydrogen, not electric, would be the hippest thing to drive.” Toyota and BMW’s continued commitment to hydrogen has since become an increasing outlier position in the automotive world.

Electric vehicles have been the dominant alternative drive in the last five years. As a result, direct competitors like Mercedes-Benz and Audi almost scrapped their plans to develop fuel-cell vehicles and invested heavily in pure-electric cars instead.

Moreover, Shell decided in February of this year to close all of its seven California-based hydrogen stations for light-duty vehicles due to “supply complications and other external market factors.”