BMW has started manufacturing fuel-cell stacks for its iX5 Hydrogen SUV, which is expected to start low-volume production before the end of the year. The iX5 Hydrogen is essentially a BMW X5 crossover SUV that swaps out the internal-combustion engine with a fuel-cell stack that utilizes Toyota tech. The two automakers have been collaborating since 2013 on fuel cells. Toyota supplies individual fuel cells, which harness a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. That includes a BMW-designed aluminum enclosure manufactured with a sand-casting process in which molten aluminum is poured into a mold. This labor-intensive process wouldn’t be practical for BMW’s regular models, but is fine for a low-volume vehicle like the iX5 Hydrogen. Read original article here.
