In many ways BMW was ahead of the curve with the development of the i3 and i8, but with both these products now well into their lifecycles, what's next for the "i" division? We caught up with Robert Irlinger, Head of BMW i at the Frankfurt Motor Show where the marque showcased, among many concepts, the BMW i Hydrogen Next.

At a Motor Show where just about every brand had electric vehicles on their stands, BMW was possibly unique in also displaying a hydrogen fuel-cell concept. Of course, hydrogen is not new to the BMW brand, but it has been some time since it last had anything to showcase related to this technology. In theory, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles make a lot more sense than battery electric vehicles, primarily because(once the infrastructure is there) refuelling would take a similar amount of time to a normal internal-combustion engined vehicle, as opposed to a battery electric vehicle which takes hours. Furthermore, because a fuel-cell stack develops its own electricity the batteries can be smaller (making the vehicles lighter). Still, there are challenges that are not restricted to the refuelling network – manufacturing hydrogen is rather energy intensive, as an example.

Nevertheless, BMW has in recent years quietly continued working on the technology, partnering with Toyota and intends launching a hydrogen fleet (in Japan), within 3 years. But why go down this avenue in the first place, when everyone seems convinced that the future is battery electric?

What the market wants, the market gets

Robert Irlinger, Head of BMW i is betting on a future where multiple drive technologies co-exist and customers and markets will choose what best suitthem.

According to Irlinger, BMW is working on the assumption that, in the near future, various types of drive systems will exist alongside one another, and it will be up to customers to choose which they prefer.

"We will give customers whatever they want, but you must also remember that demand is driven at this point by government subsidies," he says. "If you look at Norway as an example,3 out of 4 cars there are already electric.In this country (Norway), you will just make EVs. If we go to South Africa, however,95%ormore are still ICE (internal combustion).Worldwide, we will supply what is most suitable to that market and the demand in that market, whether it's diesel, plug-in hybrid, orfull electric etc."

The BMW i4 undergoing testing – the Tesla Model 3 challenger will arrive in 2021.Photo by S. Baldauf

BMW will be introducing its iX3 and i4 production vehicles relatively soon, but there is no word yet on replacements for the i3 or i8 (the latter could go fully electric). We asked Irlinger what BMW i had learned from its 2 groundbreaking cars (the i3 and i8).

"I would saythe biggest lessonis that the we have a brand where we work on pioneering and new solutions for mobility, not to try to get it (the tech) into one normal car, but to really have a bookmark car and to try new technologies, like a sustainability, e-mobility, carbon fibre, recyclability, and bring it to the customer, and if successful, to spread it to the rest of the brand.In that sense the i3 was really successful.Look at the knowledge we gained in e-mobility, or even the carbon fibre, that we afterwards decided to get into the 7 Series, and some other sustainability technologies that are nowpart of our normal processes.Secondly, we are still gaining knowledge atthe sales point, about how to treat potential EV customers, because they have different questions and needs, and questions about infrastructure."

Will there be a new i3 (and i8)?

Will there be a new i3 and new i8? BMW has not yet decided…

What becomes very clear during our chat with Irlinger, is that BMW i (and BMW in general), is open to adapting to change swiftly. "There aren’t these dogmatic rules that every car will have a successor, like with 3 Series and 5 Series," Irlinger says."This rule does not apply in BMW i,because we will always try someting else, and if we try it out and it works, we will spread it out to the market. And if there will be an i3 successor?We will see…same with i8. We will see. What we found out with i8 is that electrification with sports cars really works very well. What is the outcome of that? You will see electrificationin future BMW M cars. That’s something we've already learned.Whether there will be an i8 successor or not, and which powertrain solution it will have, that we will leave up to your speculation."

How will the i range expand?

The next BMW i vehicle to arrive is the iX3, due for its global reveal next year. Photo by S.Baldauf

When BMW launched its i3 and i8, it chose to develop all-new platforms, and to not shoehorn an electric drivetrain into an existing product. Going forward, however, it would appear that this approach may evolve to include traditional platforms as well.

"With i3 and i8 we brought cars to the customer at very specific points in the portfolio, so-called bookmark cars–again in the spirit of trying something out.What we are seeing now is that the demand for e-mobility is far bigger than only those 2 specific points. Our customer now demands e-mobility across the whole portfolio. And what we decided is that we will upgrade our front- and rear-wheel drive architectures tooffer the customer each kind of tecnology. All of our future platformswill be able to offer all kinds of technology to our customers. So whatever the segment, we will be able to offer whatever powertrain solution our customers want."

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