My first drive of the BMW iX5 included a stop at a hydrogen fueling station near London’s Heathrow airport. Operated by a firm called Air Products, it opened in 2012 to fuel a fleet of hydrogen-powered taxis used in a trial during that year’s London Olympic Games.
Now used by trucks and buses, it dispenses about 200 kg (440 lbs) of hydrogen per day through two pumps, with 1kg currently costing about £20 ($25.84). Given the BMW has a 6kg (13.2 lbs) capacity, that means its range of 310 miles will cost about $155. Not cheap, but these are very early days for hydrogen and the car isn’t yet available to buy.
The hydrogen is stored at 500 bars of pressure in a tank with a capacity of 700 kg (1,500 lbs). It can then be pumped at up to 1,000 bar, so two vehicles can be fueled at once, albeit below the 700 bar maximum rate hydrogen cars like the BMW iX5 are capable of.
The pumps look and feel a lot like those from a gas station, but with a mechanism that locks it into place when attached to the car. The whole process can be done one-handed, payment is handled with the tap of a credit card (since there are no staff at this particular station), and it all feels very intuitive.
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