The BMW Group is receiving financial support from the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) and the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy (StMWi) as part of the European IPCEI initiative (Important Projects of Common European Interest). The funding is for the company's own research and development project, “HyPowerDrive.”
The project focuses on the further development of fuel cell technology. For the BMW Group, the commitment of funding shows that the federal and state governments are very interested in technological innovations and want to further strengthen Germany as a research location.
The company has been working on fuel cells for years and is pursuing the goal of developing the widest possible range of sustainable drive options in the mobility sector.
Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder emphasized in this context: “Mobility with hydrogen and fuel cells is an important building block for achieving our climate targets in transport. With HyPowerDrive, BMW is strengthening the technological diversity and competitiveness of Germany as an automotive location. The project is exemplary of our technology-neutral approach – because we need all climate-friendly drive systems to successfully shape the transport transition.”
Bavaria's Minister President Dr. Markus Söder also highlighted the importance of the project: "Strategic alliance for the car of the future: The federal government and Bavaria are funding the new BMW hydrogen project ‘HyPowerDrive’ with a total of €273 million. Today, Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder presented the decision to BMW's Chief Development Officer Dr. Joachim Post. Our philosophy of modern economic policy: We promote research into new technologies instead of subsidizing outdated industries with large sums of money. Because only innovation will create long-term value and jobs in our country. We must not give up on the car and leave it to competitors such as China. We need high-tech combustion engines, but also electric and technologies such as hydrogen. This can only be achieved with technological openness and offerings for the different markets around the world."
Outlook: BMW iX5 Hydrogen from 2028
BMW plans to launch the BMW iX5 Hydrogen in 2028. This will expand the company's drive portfolio, which includes classic combustion engines and plug-in hybrids as well as battery-electric models, and will also include hydrogen-powered variants in the future. BMW wants to respond flexibly to different market requirements.
The associated fuel cell technology is based on the third generation of a system developed jointly with Toyota, which is said to be more compact, efficient, and powerful. The first prototypes are being manufactured at the BMW competence centers in Munich and at the Steyr plant, while other components are being produced at the Landshut site.
