Tag Archives: Hydrogen fuel

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Hydrogen-Powered BMW X5 to Join the Lineup in 2028

BMW has never been shy about hedging its bets when it comes to future propulsion. While rivals charge headlong into battery-only electrification, Munich is keeping every card on the table—petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid, EV, and now, hydrogen. In 2028, the X5 will officially gain a fuel-cell variant, marking the brand’s first hydrogen-powered model to be offered to paying customers.

The move builds on BMW’s iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet, which has quietly been logging miles since 2023. Those vehicles, strictly used for testing and development, ran a Toyota-supplied second-generation fuel-cell stack paired with BMW’s own integration. With a combined 396 horsepower and a WLTP range of 313 miles, it was a promising appetizer. The main course arrives in four years, powered by BMW’s third-generation system.

Smaller, Stronger, Smarter

The new setup, developed once again with Toyota, is said to be 25 percent smaller than the iX5 Hydrogen’s unit but offers more power density and greater efficiency. BMW says it’s modular by design, meaning it can scale across multiple vehicle platforms. Production of the stacks will take place in Steyr, Austria, while other key components—like a new hydrogen-specific high-voltage brain dubbed the BMW Energy Master—will be built in Landshut, Germany.

Prototypes are already being pieced together at Dingolfing, with BMW board member for development Joachim Post promising “improved range, higher output, and significantly greater efficiency” compared with the current pilot fleet. Translation: expect more horsepower and more miles between fill-ups from the new X5 Hydrogen.

A Limited-Run Experiment

BMW won’t flood showrooms with this one. Sales will be limited to markets where hydrogen refueling infrastructure actually exists—a caveat that should temper any expectations of wide availability. That said, the X5 Hydrogen represents an important milestone: BMW’s first commercial hydrogen passenger vehicle after decades of dabbling.

A New-Gen X5, A New Look Inside

The hydrogen variant will ride on the upcoming fifth-generation X5, codenamed G65, which itself is due in 2026. Early prototypes reveal styling cues lifted from the next iX3, including sleeker lines and a more aggressive stance. Inside, the transformation is more radical. Out goes the familiar instrument cluster and the long-serving iDrive rotary controller. In their place: a panoramic projected display, a 17.9-inch widescreen central interface, and full reliance on voice and touch inputs.

The Long Game

BMW’s hydrogen strategy may seem contrarian in today’s EV-hungry market, but it’s a deliberate hedge. The company insists that hydrogen fuel cells can coexist with battery EVs, especially for long-distance and heavy-use scenarios. With Toyota as a partner and a modular system capable of scaling across platforms, the upcoming X5 Hydrogen is less a one-off experiment and more a test case for a wider rollout down the road.

The future of hydrogen cars remains uncertain. But BMW, never one to ignore an engineering challenge, is betting there’s room for both plugs and pumps. In 2028, the X5 will let customers decide.

Source: BMW

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Forget Plug-Ins—Hyundai Bets the Future on Hydrogen

Hydrogen. It’s the fuel that’s always five years away from saving the world. Yet at the 16th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM16) in Busan, Hyundai Motor Group strutted in like it already owns the future, slapping its “HTWO” hydrogen badge across the global stage with the confidence of a K-pop star at Wembley.

Forget battery packs, plugs, and range anxiety memes. Hyundai wants us to picture a world where we juice up our cars with the most abundant element in the universe, squeeze out nothing but water vapor, and still manage a smug 700 kilometers between pit stops. The messenger? The all-new NEXO fuel-cell SUV, which Hyundai handed over to ministers, dignitaries, and assorted global powerbrokers as official state cars for the event. Yes, for the first time at a major international summit, fuel-cell vehicles were chauffeuring the suits. A little flex, then.

At the helm of Hyundai’s hydrogen evangelism was Ken Ramirez, Head of Energy & Hydrogen Business. He didn’t just bring PowerPoints—he brought a sermon. Ramirez laid out Hyundai’s master plan: hydrogen trucks hauling cargo, hydrogen ports buzzing with activity, hydrogen airports feeding planes, and even waste-to-hydrogen projects that turn yesterday’s trash into tomorrow’s tankful. Sounds like a Bond villain’s wet dream—except Hyundai’s promising it’ll save the planet, not blow it up.

And here’s the thing: they’ve been at it for almost 30 years. Long before Tesla made EVs sexy and Toyota turned hybrids into middle-class virtue signals, Hyundai was tinkering with fuel cells. Now, with its HTWO brand, it’s ready to scale up—mobility, logistics, industry, the lot.

But the real kicker is infrastructure. Hydrogen doesn’t just need cars; it needs pipelines, electrolysis hubs, refueling stations, and, crucially, global rules on how it’s made and traded. Hyundai hammered that point home in Busan, calling for certification and standards so that green hydrogen doesn’t get undercut by… well, not-so-green hydrogen.

So, is this the tipping point? Possibly. If nothing else, Hyundai made a statement: hydrogen isn’t just a science project anymore, it’s diplomatic transport. And when you see a convoy of shiny NEXOs quietly whisking ministers through city traffic without a tailpipe burp in sight, it feels less like fantasy and more like a sneak peek at the inevitable.

For now, the NEXO remains a niche machine with a loyal cult following and an impressive spec sheet: 150 kW of power, five minutes to refuel, and a range that would make most battery EVs sweat. But Hyundai isn’t shy about its ambition—it wants a world where hydrogen powers everything from forklifts to ferries.

And if history tells us anything, this is a company that usually delivers on big, bold bets. Remember when Hyundai was a punchline in the ‘90s? Now it’s casually chauffeuring world leaders in hydrogen SUVs. The future, it seems, may smell less of petrol and more of progress.

Source: Hyundai

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Stellantis Bows Out of Hydrogen: A Harsh Reality Check for Fuel Cell Dreams

For years, hydrogen has hovered on the periphery of the zero-emissions conversation—a clean, powerful fuel source that’s long promised to rival battery-electric technology. But while it has stirred the imagination of engineers and futurists, its road to relevance in the automotive world has been anything but smooth. Now, one of the industry’s biggest players is backing away from the hydrogen dream.

Stellantis, the automotive conglomerate behind brands like Peugeot, Citroën, Fiat, Opel, and Ram, has officially pulled the plug on its hydrogen fuel cell program for commercial vehicles. Once touted as a forward-thinking alternative to battery-powered vans, the project has now become another casualty of economic pragmatism and political inaction.

A Vanishing Vision

Earlier this year, Stellantis was bullish about hydrogen. The company had plans to deploy eight hydrogen-powered midsize and large vans under various badges—from the Citroën ë-Jumpy and Peugeot E-Expert to the Fiat E-Scudo and Opel Vivaro. Production was set to ramp up this summer at facilities in Hordain, France, and Gliwice, Poland.

But as the economics grew more daunting and infrastructure progress lagged behind, optimism gave way to realism. According to Stellantis, the hydrogen vehicle segment “remains a niche” with “no prospects of mid-term economic sustainability.” The cost of scaling the technology and the lack of a global refueling network ultimately made the endeavor untenable.

Notably, Stellantis isn’t laying off workers at the affected production sites, and its research and development teams will pivot to projects unrelated to fuel cells. Still, the abrupt U-turn is a stark signal to the rest of the industry: even with scale, support, and ambition, hydrogen struggles to compete in today’s automotive market.

Infrastructure: The Missing Link

Even if Stellantis had forged ahead, customers would have faced a cold, hard truth—there simply isn’t enough hydrogen infrastructure to make ownership viable. Outside of a few isolated regions like parts of California, Japan, and Germany, hydrogen refueling stations are practically nonexistent. Without a concerted global push, the technology remains stranded in a limbo between promise and practicality.

Stellantis has also pointed fingers at governments, suggesting that stronger incentives and subsidies could have helped lower costs and spark adoption. But with many policy makers focused on accelerating battery EV rollouts, hydrogen has been left to fend for itself.

Not Everyone’s Giving Up

While Stellantis may be waving the white flag, not all automakers are ready to concede. Toyota remains a vocal advocate for hydrogen, doubling down on both fuel cell vehicles and experimental hydrogen combustion engines. The Japanese giant is even collaborating with BMW on a hydrogen SUV set to debut in 2028—likely based on the next-gen X5.

Hyundai continues its commitment as well, recently updating its Nexo crossover and pushing fuel cell truck development under its Xcient banner. Meanwhile, Honda is refining its next-gen fuel cell module—targeting 2027 for mass production with cost cuts and improved durability—through its joint venture with GM, Fuel Cell Systems Manufacturing LLC in Michigan.

Even in the niche performance segment, hydrogen hasn’t been written off. Alpine, Renault’s sporty sub-brand, teased enthusiasts with a hydrogen-powered V6 supercar concept, while Renault itself imagined a sleek, rear-drive wagon blending fuel cells with a rechargeable battery system.

Volkswagen’s Cold Shoulder

On the other hand, Volkswagen remains firmly unconvinced. At CES 2023, then-CEO Thomas Schäfer bluntly dismissed hydrogen as a viable solution for passenger cars, citing cabin intrusion from bulky tanks and overall inefficiency. “I don’t see this happening in this decade,” he said. “Not at Volkswagen.”

The Future: Still Hazy

As exciting as hydrogen technology may be in theory—quick refueling, zero tailpipe emissions, and impressive energy density—it continues to fall short in practice. Without the infrastructure to support it, and with battery electric vehicles getting cheaper and more capable by the year, hydrogen’s automotive future remains unclear.

Stellantis’ retreat doesn’t signal the end of hydrogen in the industry, but it certainly reinforces a hard truth: potential alone isn’t enough. If hydrogen is to carve out a meaningful role, it will need more than engineering breakthroughs—it will require a coordinated global effort in infrastructure, regulation, and consumer incentives. Until then, it risks remaining the fuel of the future… forever just out of reach.

Photo: Opel