Hydrogen, as a source of liquid or gaseous energy, is clearly superior to a regular storage battery. Plus, a vehicle running on hydrogen can be refuelled in a matter of minutes. Obtained through electrolysis, its resources are essentially unlimited – something you can’t say about crude oil. It can be burned as fuel in conventional engines, which is ideal for trucks. Or be used with a fuel cell to provide pure-electric drive – the best solution for passenger cars. But what may sound like the perfect answer on paper in reality represents a major technical challenge. After all, hydrogen only becomes liquid under extremely high pressure and when cooled to an extremely low temperature (-253°C). Added to which, making it uses energy, which is already in restricted supply in countries such as Germany and therefore does not come cheap. The BMW Group has amassed decades of experience in the research and development of hydrogen technology.

Hydrogen offers extensive possibilities as a new universal energy source, but also presents major technical challenges that require further research and development. Most importantly, sufficient “green hydrogen” has to be made available – i.e. hydrogen generated using energy from renewable sources. A pioneering spirit and the development of large supply networks are key ingredients in an area where BMW is keen to continue leading the way in the future.