BMW is set to expand its hydrogen-powered range of cars before the end of the decade but has warned that the UK risks lagging behind the alternative fuel technology. 

Speaking at a hydrogen tech summit prior to the Tokyo Motor Show, Dr Jueergen Guldner, BMW’s general manager for hydrogen technology said that he would like to see the UK government ‘get behind’ hydrogen by putting its weight behind an expanded filling station network. 

At present, the UK currently has just 12 hydrogen filling stations, with this number having fallen by three after Shell shuttered a trio of sites amid a lack of confidence in the fuel. 

Shell had previously planned to expand upon its three sites which were located in Cobham, Gatwick and Beaconsfield throughout the UK, but quashed the plans due to a feeling that hydrogen technology didn’t appeal to the public.

In contrast, Japan currently operates 164 hydrogen filling stations and plans to expand this to 1,000 by the end of the decade. In Europe, plans are in place to make sure that all major highways have access to hydrogen filling stations and the same goes for towns which have more than 100,000 residents. 

Dr Guldner told Car Dealer: ‘I think the UK government actually does have a role, at least in including hydrogen in its mobility strategy.

‘When the UK government has a hydrogen strategy, there will be a lot of industry players that are willing to invest, that are willing to build a hydrogen economy, from production to pipeline transport, all the way to mobility and stations. But I think it’s lacking a little bit of public support.’

BMW has already launched a pilot series of hydrogen-powered X5 models. Back in October 2022, Oliver Zipse, chairman at BMW, predicted that as demand for electric vehicles increases and infrastructure fails to keep up, there will be a larger space for hydrogen-powered models.

He said at the time ‘If you have an architecture package [that is ready for] hydrogen, it is exactly the same size of your battery pack. It’s not a problem at all.

“That’s why architectures are so important. Flexible architectures are the key to everything. And if you have not thought about that, you will not be able to offer your products in specific regions in the future.’

Dr Guldner also added that he felt that the postponement on the 2030 ban of new petrol and diesel cars could actually be a good thing and would allow the public to realise the potential of hydrogen. 

‘It is a good opportunity to introduce hydrogen, because there’s a lot of situations, for example, in the big cities like London, where it really will be difficult to get 100% electric charging into each and every parking spot,’ he told Car Dealer.

‘This delay [to the 2030 ban] should be complemented with some rethinking of the hydrogen strategy in the UK, because I know that the hydrogen stations that are there at the moment are closing because there’s not enough business.’

UK hydrogen filling stations are rare