Alleged Chinese patent renders of a purported BMW Hydrogen fuel cell car concept model have been leaked through an automotive-centric website, Pacific Automotive Network (PCAuto).
The alleged BMW fuel cell concept car is rumored to debut during the Los Angeles Auto Show, which will be held in the Los Angeles Convention Center from Nov. 20 to 29. Moreover, PCAuto states that it will be part of BMW's "i" series, which points to the rumored BMW i5.
Based on the photos, the concept car should fit somewhere between the BMW i3 and the i8 in terms of size. The front of the car, including the hood and the kidney grille, screams BMW and can easily be traced back to the i8. The aggressive lines and crevices that run along each side, as well as the headlight, are reminders that this concept is hugely based off of the i8.
The two fuel caps on both sides of the car are easy enough to spot, along with the large spoiler. Although the car has only two doors, there should be two more seats at the back, which is expected to be cramped due to the fastback design.
But while several hints were taken from the i8, the car has striking resemblance to the coupé version of the Toyota Mirai, which is can be justified by the rumored partnership between BMW and Toyota. Some news outlets report that BMW is working with Toyota to further the fuel cell technology. However, It is unclear which hydrogen power train will be fitted into the alleged i5.
The only clear thing is that with the leaked renders, granted that they are true, the German luxury carmaker is progressing at an ideal pace to meet its goal of having a ready for mass production fuel cell car by 2020.
Nonetheless, it is important to note that, unlike average electric cars that run on lithium batteries, hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles face a substantial amount of resistance because it takes three folds the amount of energy to harvest, compress and transport hydrogen so that it can be used as fuel. Even with Michio Kaku, a known theoretical physicist, facing the crowd and explaining the technology during CES 2015, the opposition still persists.
