New BMW iX5 will have HYDROGEN option from 2028

The new BMW X5 – due in 2026 – will, by 2028, offer a Hydrogen powertrain as well as Petrol, Diesel, PHEV and Electric options.

Hydrogen power has long been touted as the real future for car power, but the high cost of both Hydrogen fuel cell tech and Hydrogen production, as well as almost zero refuelling infrastructure, has meant only Toyota and Hyundai have been brave enough to persist with Hydrogen Tech in series production cars with the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo.

But behind the scenes BMW has been busy heading down the Hydrogen route too, with a tech-sharing agreement between Toyota and BMW back in 2011 leading to a hydrogen-powered i8 in 2012 (although it wasn’t revealed until 2015), a hydrogen-powered X5 Concept in 2019 with a promise of a production version by 2022 and, as 2022 dawned, a shift to 2025 for its arrival.

But once again, BMW backtracked on the 2025 arrival for Hydrogen power this time last year as it declared it would be 2028 before it actually arrived. But it looks like this time it’s for real.

BMW has now announced that the new X5 – due in 2026 – will initially be available with Petrol, Diesel, PHEV and EV powertrains but, by 2028, a Hydrogen powertrain using a third-generation fuel cell developed with Toyota – said to be more compact, more powerful and more efficient – will join the range as a regular powertrain option.

BMW’s Joachim Post said:

By launching the new BMW X5 with a choice of five drive system variants, we are once again demonstrating our leading position as a technology pioneer.

Hydrogen has an essential part to play in global decarbonisation, which is why we are committed to driving the technology forward.

As well as delivering their first series production hydrogen-fueled car, BMW is also attempting to improve the availability of Hydrogen with its HyMoS (Hydrogen Mobility at Scale) initiative, initially supporting existing ecosystems in Germany and France.