BMW hydrogen-powered car hits the test track, looks mean

One of BMW’s hydrogen cars, the i8. Courtesy of BMW

At a large testing facility in the south of France, BMW rolled out a prototype of a hydrogen-powered car for the first time. The car, which is an intimidating riff on the look of the BMW i8, has been in top-secret tests since 2012, according to Auto Express. There was also a hydrogen-power 5 Series Gran Turismo present.

BMW has been doing research on hydrogen fuel cells for over 15 years and, in partnership with Toyota, is making a push to have the technology consumer-ready by 2020 in case the market demands a hydrogen car by then.

In a statement, BMW called hydrogen fuel cells the “ideal’’ way to take its current electronic driving system to the next level:

“The fuel cell, which converts hydrogen into electric energy and water vapour, enables locally emission-free driving laced with the dynamics customers expect of a BMW – plus long distance capability and short refuelling times.’’

BMW told Top Gear that the emphasis on their hydrogen-powered car is long distance driving, which would work better in the 5-Series car.

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Along with the emphasis on long-range driving, BMW also said that refueling could be done in under five minutes.

Get your fill of both the 5-Series and i8 prototypes here:

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