The new BMW X5 will also come with hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain

22 September 2025

BMW has announced that its popular X5 SUV will become a platform for unprecedented powertrain diversity, offering customers a choice of five different technologies in a single model. Gasoline, diesel, plug-in hybrid, and fully battery-electric options are part of the plan, but the most significant inclusion is a hydrogen fuel cell - a first for BMW. The German automaker seems desperately committed to an alternative path for zero-emission driving.

Unsurprisingly, the new hydrogen-powered SUV will be called BMW iX5 Hydrogen, and is scheduled for a launch in 2028. The successful worldwide testing phase of a pilot fleet gave the company confidence to bring the technology to consumers.

Vice President of Hydrogen Vehicles at BMW Group, Michael Rath, claims that despite the advanced tech under the hood, "The new BMW iX5 Hydrogen will be a true BMW - pioneering in its class and delivering the BMW typical driving pleasure."

The iX5 Hydrogen will use a third-generation fuel cell system developed in a long-standing collaboration with Toyota Motor Corporation. The new solution is more compact, powerful, and efficient than previous iterations, offering increased driving range and performance while consuming less energy.

BMW is using its own manufacturing network to bring the vehicle to life, with prototypes currently being assembled at its centers in Munich and the BMW Group Plant Steyr. Additional components for the drive system are being supplied by the company's own plant in Landshut, showing a deep integration of the technology into its production capabilities.

BMW's strategy is what the company calls a "technology-open approach." Many competitors are betting exclusively on battery electric cars, but BMW believes in offering a wider portfolio to meet the needs of customers across the globe. Joachim Post, a member of BMW AG's Board of Management, noted that hydrogen has an "essential part to play in global decarbonization."

The company sees hydrogen as the missing piece of the electric mobility puzzle, especially for applications where battery electric vehicles may not be the optimal solution, such as for drivers who need to cover long distances with minimal downtime for refueling.

Of course, a hydrogen car is only useful if you can refuel it. The lack of refueling infrastructure remains the biggest problem for hydrogen vehicle adoption, and BMW is actively working to build the ecosystem around it. The company is a key player in the HyMoS (Hydrogen Mobility at Scale) initiative.

This project brings together industry and institutional partners to create viable hydrogen ecosystems in metropolitan areas. The strategy is to pool the demand from all types of vehicles - including commercial trucks, buses, and passenger cars - to make the construction and operation of hydrogen stations economically sound.

With a pilot phase already underway in Germany and France, the HyMoS initiative will create a blueprint for expanding the hydrogen refueling network. As BMW moves toward the 2028 launch of the iX5 Hydrogen, its success will depend as much on the availability of fuel as on the quality of the car itself.

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