The production will take place at BMW’s “pilot factory” at its Munich Research and Innovation Centre, with the vehicle expected to hit the roads in the spring of 2023.
The plant employs about 900 employees who work in departments like the body shop, assembly, and concept car manufacturing.
The foundational cars are supplied by BMW’s Spartanburg facility in the United States. But once they arrive in Germany, a new floor assembly is installed, enabling them to accommodate two hydrogen tanks in the middle tunnel and underneath the back seats.
At this point, the 12- and 400-volt systems, battery, electric motor, and fuel cell for the car are also included. The plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles from the company already include the electric motor, which makes use of the most recent eDrive technology from BMW. The fuel cell, which is found underneath the car’s hood, is manufactured in the BMW plant in Garching, which is located north of Munich.
The development-focused member of BMW AG’s board of management, Frank Weber, stated: “Hydrogen is a flexible energy source that will be essential as we move closer to climate neutrality.
We believe that a combination of battery and fuel cell electric drive systems is a wise long-term strategy because hydrogen is expected to become increasingly important for personal mobility.
According to BMW, the finished vehicles will serve as “technology demonstrators” in “chosen places.”
