A collaboration between BMW and Toyota could lead to the German automaker's next hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that may be called the i5, according to a report from Autocar.

This will be BMW's second attempt at a hydrogen vehicle. In 2006, the company introduced the Hydrogen 7, but only produced 100 vehicles for a very select  group of public figures. The Hydrogen 7 is a bivalent engine, meaning it uses gasoline and hydrogen.

The rumored vehicle would use the same hydrogen-electric fuel cell system as the recently unveiled Mirai.

BMW and Toyota entered in a long-term strategic collaboration focusing on four fields in 2012, one being development of a fuel cell system.

Currently, BMW has the i3 battery-electric hatchback and i8 hybrid sports car in its “I” brand of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Despite the lack of current infrastructure in the U.S., manufactures are slowly entering the hydrogen fuel cell segment. Audi plans to reveal its hydrogen-powered A7 at the L.A. Auto Show. There is also a rumored hydrogen vehicle from Mercedes-Benz to be tested on a small scale and sold in 2017, according to Digital Trends.

No other details have been leaked on the BMW i5, but if the vehicle shares the same system as the Mirai one can expect 300 miles on a single tank.

0 Comments