New rumors from Spain suggest that a powerplant change could be on the way for the big BMW X7 crossover. That's hydrogen power, according to the new report, banking on the company's previous ventures into the gas with Toyota.

It comes from Spanish website motor.es, which quotes German sources as saying that BMW is looking at fitting the refreshed 2023 X7 with a hydrogen fuel cell. An electric battery pack with a hydrogen fuel cell thrown in like Mercedes is doing currently with the GLC F-Cell crossover, giving it an EV range with the added boost of the hydrogen range extender when you want to go for a longer drive.

Why the X7? Hydrogen fuel cell tech isn't cheap, and this isn't going to be a mass-produced option. Or at least not a high-volume one. So it'll be a bit of a testbed for the system and the high-end buyers who pick it. The report says that it will come as an ultra-luxurious five-seat version, one that will precede and serve as a bridge to an upcoming iX7 full EV that is still supposed to be a secret.

BMW has been showing plenty of hydrogen-fueled vehicles of late, and has been experimenting with the gas as a fuel since at least 2005 when it produced a hydrogen 7 Series that used an H-powered combustion engine, not a fuel cell. Automakers are still going back and forth on alternative fuels or pure EVs, so we'll wait and see if this BMW makes it to market.

Source  motor.es

find out more about the X7 at x7forum.com