Editorial context: BMW announced this future powertrain strategy in September 2025. Its hydrogen production model was planned for 2028; the announcement did not mean all five versions were already available, or confirm Australian availability.
For once, a carmaker has decided that customers should actually get to choose. The new BMW X5 will be offered with five distinct drivetrain options: battery electric, plug-in hybrid, petrol, diesel and hydrogen fuel cell. Yes, all in one model line. It is the sort of decision that makes other manufacturers sit up, pour another coffee and wonder what they missed.
Alongside the car comes HyMoS, an initiative to help cities get the hydrogen refuelling network they will need. The plan is to pilot the concept in Germany and from there work out how to roll it out more widely.
The company says that putting five drive choices into one model underlines its role as a technology pioneer and that hydrogen will play an important part in cutting global carbon emissions. The message is simple: do not bet everything on a single solution. Keep your options open.
Technology-Open Approach Is A Strategic Advantage
Product diversity is not an indulgence. It is a strategy. Offering internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrids, battery electric systems and, from 2028, hydrogen fuel cell drivetrains creates flexibility to meet very different customer needs around the world. Think of it as building several roads to the same destination, so you are never stranded when one route closes.
This is made possible by flexible manufacturing and deep integration expertise, which allow a range of drive technologies to be developed, purchased and produced efficiently. From 2028, the model range will even include two kinds of fully electric drive: battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell. That is a clear statement of a technology-open approach rather than betting the farm on a single idea.
The New BMW iX5 Hydrogen
After global pilot testing, the iX5 Hydrogen will arrive as the brand’s first series-produced hydrogen model. The car is being positioned as a genuine premium vehicle that behaves like a BMW should, while offering electric propulsion using a hydrogen fuel cell.
The heart of the system is a third-generation fuel cell developed in collaboration with Toyota Motor Corporation. This next step produces a more compact, more powerful and more efficient unit, improving range and output while lowering energy use. Prototypes are already being built in specialist centres and further components are coming from existing production sites.
Why Hydrogen Matters
BMW argues that hydrogen can complement battery-electric vehicles and help store renewable energy. These are the company’s strategic reasons for developing the technology; the announcement does not establish the emissions footprint of every hydrogen supply chain.
Viewed pragmatically, hydrogen complements batteries. It gives customers options for use cases where a battery would be clumsy or impractical.
HyMoS Initiative To Build Hydrogen Infrastructure
HyMoS, short for Hydrogen Mobility at Scale, aims to accelerate local hydrogen ecosystems by bringing together industry and institutional partners. The idea is to pool demand across vehicle types including trucks, buses and passenger cars to make hydrogen stations more economically viable and better utilised.
A pilot phase has started with support from projects in Germany and France to gather lessons for deployment in additional metropolitan areas and potential expansion to other countries. The initiative also shares practical experience across projects and coordinates industry partners to help existing hydrogen ecosystems fulfil their potential.
CO2 Emissions And Consumption
This is a development-phase prototype. Official energy consumption and WLTP figures are not yet available.
The BMW Group is presenting this approach as a long-term strategy built on maintaining a broad product portfolio, flexible production and responsible thinking across the supply chain and vehicle lifecycle. The group operates more than 30 production sites globally and sells in over 140 countries. Recent figures show annual vehicle sales in the millions and a large international workforce, underlining the scale at which these technological choices will play out.
Source: BMW’s September 2025 production strategy announcement.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
