Anglo American Platinum, BMW, and Sasol have signed a collective agreement that will bring hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and supporting hydrogen refuelling technology to South Africa.
As part of this agreement, Sasol will be providing the hydrogen refilling stations while BMW will be responsible for supplying a suitable vehicle that will be able to run on this eco-friendly fuel, which it confirmed will take the form of the iX5 Hydrogen of which there are fewer than 100 examples in the world.
“These vehicles will operate on South African roads as part of an international trial to understand how the BMW iX5 Hydrogen performs in real-world conditions, following four years of development work,” said a statement by Sasol released on 16 October.
“Anglo American Platinum, which provides platinum group metals (PGMs) used in FCEVs and has been investing in hydrogen technologies for many years, will work closely with BMW and Sasol to help develop a local green hydrogen mobility ecosystem.”
The market for hydrogen mobility solutions is a key pillar of the South African government’s green hydrogen economy strategy, which will lower carbon emissions, unlock investment, create jobs, and drive demand for critical metals and raw materials, including PGMs.
“One technology on its own will not be enough to enable climate-neutral mobility worldwide. As a versatile energy source, hydrogen has a key role to play on the road to climate neutrality,” said Peter van Binsbergen, CEO of BMW Group South Africa.
“We believe South Africa – with its abundance of raw materials and sound infrastructure base – is ideally placed to deliver on the Green Hydrogen Economy’s promises.”
iX5 Hydrogen specs
First revealed as a prototype at the 2019 IAA show, the iX5 Hydrogen has spent the better part of the last four years in development.
Currently, the FCEV’s powertrain is capable of producing a maximum of 295kW – 125kW coming from the hydrogen system and 170kW from “lithium-ion technology” – allowing for a 0-100km/h time of under 6 seconds and a top speed of 180km/h.
However, hydrogen has a lower energy density than fossil fuels and therefore requires more advanced components to store the propellant, and in the case of the iX5, these take the form of two 700-bar tanks made of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic.
The two sizeable capsules are capable of carrying a combined 6kg of hydrogen in a gaseous state, providing up to 504km of range at a rate of 1.19kg/100km.
BMW South Africa confirmed to TopAuto earlier in 2023 that it will “not be offering our customers a production vehicle until the second half of the decade, at the earliest, depending on market requirements and overall conditions.”
By this point in time, the fuel-cell drivetrain is planned to be in its third generation and “will be able to offer a complete package that meets our customers’ high expectations.”
BMW iX5 Hydrogen
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