Yahoo Autos BMW hasn't ruled out licensing its hydrogen-electric technology
BMW has historically licensed its engines to a diverse list of manufacturers; the Bertone Freeclimber, the McLaren F1, the Morgan Plus Six, and the Ineos Grenadier are all BMW-powered. The company told Autoblog it's open to licensing its upcoming hydrogen-electric technology.
"We would if we could, but this is not the time to discuss that," BMW boss Oliver Zipse told me on the sidelines of the iX5 launch.
Still at the prototype stage, the hydrogen-electric drivetrain that BMW is putting in a small handful of X5-based test mules consists of two storage tanks, a fuel cell, a small lithium-ion battery pack, and a rear-mounted electric motor sourced from the iX. The system's total output checks in at 401 horsepower in the iX5, it delivers about 313 miles of driving range, and its tanks can be refueled in a couple of minutes.
