BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse is sharpening his warning that Europe—and Germany specifically—is falling behind within the world race to industrialize hydrogen applied sciences. Talking on the Automobilwoche Kongress in November, he emphasised, based on Automotive Information, that the most important investments in next-generation drivetrains are actually taking place in Asia and the US, not in Europe. In his view, hydrogen has moved from a distinct segment experiment to a strategic know-how that different areas are scaling way more aggressively.
Zipse famous that whereas Europe has directed the vast majority of its regulatory and political focus towards battery-electric autos, international locations reminiscent of China, Japan, Korea, and the U.S. (particularly California) are constructing long-term methods that deal with hydrogen as a critical pillar of future mobility.
BMW Stays One among Europe’s Final Hydrogen Holdouts
Amongst European automakers, BMW stands out virtually alone in persevering with to develop hydrogen gasoline cell passenger autos. The corporate has many years of expertise within the area, beginning with hydrogen combustion experiments within the early 2000s and evolving into trendy gasoline cell techniques that function very similar to battery-electric autos, however with electrical energy generated onboard.
In contrast to combustion prototypes of previous many years, right now’s gasoline cell structure is constructed round electrical motors and shares a lot of its {hardware} with BMW’s BEVs. The distinction is how vitality is saved and generated. That is the place BMW sees worth: quick refueling, constant efficiency in very chilly or extremely popular climates, and lighter onboard vitality storage for long-distance driving.
iX5 Hydrogen to Enter Manufacturing in 2028
The clearest instance of BMW’s continued dedication is the iX5 Hydrogen. After a number of years of world testing and a devoted pilot fleet, BMW will transfer the automobile into sequence manufacturing in 2028. Volumes will stay comparatively low, however this marks the primary time BMW will construct a hydrogen-powered mannequin as a part of its common manufacturing roadmap, not simply as a know-how showcase.
The gasoline cell stack is produced in Germany, the hydrogen tanks retailer fuel at very excessive strain, and a compact battery buffer provides quick bursts of energy throughout laborious acceleration. The complete system was engineered to combine into the present X5 platform with minimal structural adjustments. That compatibility is a key a part of BMW’s perception that future platforms want to stay versatile somewhat than locked to a single propulsion kind.
Public Funding Helps, however Not Sufficient to Catch Up
BMW’s gasoline cell improvement is supported by €273 million in public funding from the German federal authorities and the state of Bavaria by means of the EU’s IPCEI Hydrogen initiative. The funding is meant to assist industrialization of a scalable gasoline cell powertrain for passenger autos.
Even with this assist, Zipse argued that Germany shouldn’t be advancing quick sufficient in contrast with areas that deal with hydrogen as an industrial precedence. He warned that if Europe continues to depend on a slender interpretation of future mobility, the continent dangers dropping affect over a complete know-how sector.
Skepticism Stays Robust
Many analysts stay unconvinced that hydrogen has a significant future in passenger vehicles. Critics argue that gasoline cell autos are nonetheless costly to supply, lack infrastructure, and path far behind BEVs in maturity. Some additionally say the effectivity losses in hydrogen manufacturing and distribution make it tough for the know-how to compete on price.
These views mirror the broader coverage setting BMW finds itself in: Europe has largely aligned itself behind battery-electric mobility and expects BEVs to dominate new automobile gross sales from the mid-2030s onward.
Zipse Pushes Again on EU’s Regulatory Course
Zipse has change into one of many trade’s strongest voices criticizing the EU’s “tailpipe-only” regulatory framework. He argues that the present guidelines ignore the broader decarbonization work automakers are already doing, from low-carbon metal sourcing to renewable-powered factories and cleaner provide chains. In his view, laws ought to account for a automobile’s whole lifecycle emissions, not simply what comes out of the exhaust.
BMW’s place is that counting on a single know-how will increase threat and reduces Europe’s industrial resilience. Zipse mentioned the corporate’s versatile platform technique—making it attainable to construct BEVs, hybrids, combustion engines, and hydrogen gasoline cell fashions on the identical primary construction—is crucial to serving world markets with completely different infrastructure realities and vitality constraints.
The place BMW Sees Hydrogen Enjoying a Position
Hydrogen gasoline cell autos are usually not meant to interchange BEVs, however BMW sees them as a sensible various in particular eventualities. These embrace markets with out dependable fast-charging networks, areas with restricted electrical grid capability, and use instances the place vary consistency and fast refueling matter, reminiscent of long-distance driving or heavy hundreds. BMW believes hydrogen might additionally attraction to prospects who can’t simply undertake a pure battery-electric way of life.
BMW’s hydrogen program continues to be low-volume, however the transfer to sequence manufacturing of the iX5 Hydrogen marks a serious shift for the corporate. Zipse mentioned curiosity from worldwide companions continues to develop and expects hydrogen to play a bigger function in BMW’s portfolio later within the decade, assuming Europe retains tempo on infrastructure, funding, and regulatory flexibility.
His message was direct: if Europe decides to not develop hydrogen, different areas will gladly take the lead.
