Hydrogen could be a long term strategic solution for BMW’s transition to low carbon mobility in addition to electric vehicles. BMW and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) have been jointly developing hydrogen fuel cell drive technology (fuel cell stack, balance of plant components, and hydrogen tanks) since 2013. Within the collaboration agreement with TMC, BMW has carried out an extensive testing and validation program in order to support future decisions on commercial applications. Cooperative technology research has been conducted towards the goal of developing near commercial components before 2020.
BMW Manufacturing Co. has been operating one of the largest commercial hydrogen fleets in the world. The fleet of fuel cell-powered shop floor material handling vehicles has reached a major milestone of nearly 600 units and the refueling infrastructure has been upgraded to support almost 1000 kg of hydrogen consumption per day. The company is considering replicating these successful projects at other BMW Group locations.