BMW Prepping Hydrogen-Powered Car

BMW is planning to create a hydrogen-powered car, with components for its development ready by 2020 in Europe, according to the executive leading the effort.

by Staff

March 29, 2016

1 min to read

BMW is planning to create a hydrogen-powered car, with components for its development ready by 2020 in Europe, according to the executive leading the effort.

Target markets for the vehicle include California, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Scandinavian nations, Merten Jung, BMW’s head of fuel cell development, told Digital Trends.

BMW had previously worked on hydrogen cars as part of a pilot program. The automaker revealed a 7 Series sedan with a modified V-12 engine in 2005 that ran on hydrogen. The development for that technology has stopped, because the hydrogen stored in the tank was liquid, whereas contemporary hydrogen drivetrains are gaseous.

Development of the 7 Series helped BMW develop a better understanding in the development of hydrogen engines, such as how to increase power and reduce cost and weight. BMW is developing a hydrogen drivetrain with Toyota, allowing the companies to share the burden on the large technological investment.

Topics:BMW BMW 7 Series Toyota Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Operations Green Fleet

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