Towards a stronger hydrogen alliance between BMW and Toyota?

According to the Nikkei, the two manufacturers are set to announce a new stage in the partnership that has linked them since 2012. For the moment, neither BMW nor Toyota are commenting.

The Nikkei is a highly respected daily newspaper in Japan, which could be compared to the French newspaper Les Echos. The article published on 27 August refers to an announcement to be made on 5 September concerning a strengthening of the hydrogen partnership between BMW and Toyota. It says that the two manufacturers are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding that day.

The article mentions a media event organised by the Bavarian brand. However, there is no event listed on BMW’s media site. And Reuters, which wrote a dispatch on the subject, was simply told that the rumour did not come from BMW or Toyota. The BMW spokesman simply pointed out that the two manufacturers have been cooperating on hydrogen for years, as on other subjects, and are developing zero-emission solutions.

We know that Toyota still believes in hydrogen. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are an opportunity for the Japanese group to showcase tangible applications, particularly in mobility. As for BMW, its CEO Oliver Zipse has spoken highly and on various occasions about fuel cells as a complement to batteries.

The Nikkei article states that BMW intends to produce its iX5 Hydrogen within the next few years and that it has several plans for the period after 2030. These vehicles will be based on the Neue Klasse platform, which is compatible with hydrogen.

Do you want to learn more about Toyota and BMW regarding hydrogen? You can access all our articles about Toyota here and about BMW there.

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King