Toyota And BMW Will Improve Partnerships In FCEV Development

JAKARTA - The simple Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) is the type of electric vehicle that uses fuel cells to produce electricity which is then used to power electric motors.

The heart of FCEV is a fuel cell. Inside, hydrogen reacts with oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat, and water. This water is the only emission from this vehicle.

Two top and leading automotive manufacturers in the development of FCEV, Toyota Motor Corporation, and BMW Group are preparing to improve their partnership to expand their line of environmentally friendly mobility.

Launching from Nikkei Asia, Wednesday, August 28, the two brands will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding this partnership next week with an official announcement set for September 5.

A Toyota spokesperson said that the notification was not based on an announcement from the manufacturer and declined to comment further on the details.

Meanwhile, a BMW Group spokesperson said the information contained in the media coverage was not based on announcements from the company.

The BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation have been working together for several years in the field of fuel cells and other technologies with a common goal of offering zero-emissions mobility solutions, a spokesman from BMW Group said.

The two companies have partnered in development in FCEV since 2012, where Toyota has played a limited supplier of components.

According to reports, Toyota will again supply more components to BMW, including hydrogen tanks and fuel cell systems. Then, the company from Germany will take advantage of internal EV technologies, such as propulsion systems.

This collaboration resulted in the BMW iX5 Hydrogen model introduced in February last year. This car is based on the fourth generation X5 SUV launched in 2019.

One of BMW's goals is to introduce iX5 Hydrogen in various countries to support the development of 700-bar hydrogen-fueled infrastructure for all types of vehicles.

With adequate infrastructure, this hydrogen-powered car could be one of the key components in BMW Group's future strategy.

BMW iX5 Hydrogen claims to have a range of up to 504 kilometers with one refueling, allowing the use of this car for long-distance travel without worrying about running out of power. In addition, the car has relatively fast charging time, it only takes about 3-4 minutes to fully charge the hydrogen tank.

The vehicle brand will start mass production of iX5 Hydrogen in the next few years. By combining the system from Toyota, BMW can cut development and production costs for fuel cell vehicles.

Fuel cell vehicles use electricity produced through chemical reactions of hydrogen and oxygen. Because vehicles only emit water during power generation, not carbon dioxide.

Some say that this is the most environmentally friendly vehicle besides electricity. In addition, this car has a shorter chance of filling the tank than the EV.