Hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains that can be refuelled in minutes could be a no-cost alternative to batteries across a range of BMW electric car models by 2035, as new compact hydrogen fuel tank technology allows the maker to cheaply package hydrogen storage in vehicle platforms designed for both energy sources.
While fuel cell electric cars (FCEVs) such as the Toyota Mirai have been around in limited production for several years, extremely scarce refuelling options and high prices have made them an expensive and impractical proposition for all but a handful of users. According to BMW’s hydrogen programme chief Juergen Guldner though, in volume production FCEVs are potentially cheaper and more sustainable to build than BEVs, as they use 90 per cent less battery material, yet will feature new design solutions allowing BEV and FCEV versions of the same model to share a single ‘skateboard’ style platform, as well as multiple drivetrain components.
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