The BMW Group are putting their first raft of hydrogen vehicles on the road in a pilot fleet that will go into service in 2023. The fleet of under 100 BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicles will then be employed internationally for demonstration and trial purposes. “Hydrogen is a versatile energy source that has a key role to play in the energy transition process and therefore in climate protection," said Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG. “Hydrogen is the missing piece in the jigsaw when it comes to emission-free mobility. One technology on its own will not be enough to enable climate-neutral mobility worldwide”. The BMW iX5 Hydrogen developed on the basis of the current BMW X5 was first unveiled as a concept at the IAA show in 2019. Its fuel cell system generates a high continuous output of 125 kW/170 hp and has a maximum output of the overall drive system of 295 kW/401 hp. The top speed is over 180 km/h (112 mph) while it does 0-60 mph in under six seconds. The hydrogen needed to supply the fuel cell is stored in two 700-bar tanks made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). Together these hold almost six kilograms of hydrogen, enough to give the BMW iX5 Hydrogen a range of 504 km (313 miles) and filling up the hydrogen tanks only takes three to four minutes.