Peugeot 3008, Peugeot 5008, Renault Scénic, Alpine A110… Law enforcement cars are mostly French. There are a few exceptions, such as the Skoda Kodiaq of the National Gendarmerie or the BMW R 1200 RT bikers of the National Police. Now the fleet of law enforcement agencies has been replenished with two new products.
Indeed, BMW France has just announced delivery of two iX5 Hydrogen for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Overseas Territories. More precisely, these two cars are on loan to the Orly Air Transport Gendarmerie and the Paris Police Headquarters.
The police (again) in the BMW
This vehicle, which is not for sale, is on loan for experimental purposes to allow for a propeller make collect data and feedback to optimize their hydrogen fuel cell technologies. This program is also part of the Ministry of Interior’s drive to green law enforcement vehicles.
Remember that at the beginning of 2023, BMW launched the BMW iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet. It consists of less than 100 vehicles and is used worldwide in all climates for demonstration and testing.
These experiments are taking place in anticipation of the possible sale of a production model of hydrogen fuel cells in the second half a decade.
What is the BMW iX5 Hydrogen?
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen, in particular, we had the opportunity to test it on Auto Plus, and this beautiful baby 401 hp and 650 Nm of torque there was no shortage of qualities… but also flaws, starting with a thick-skinned weight of 2.4 tonnes and, above all, a charging network that is still largely confidential, even if it is not particularly BMW’s responsibility at this level.
BMW announces maximum autonomy 504 km according to the WLTP cyclebut when we started we saw that the range was about 400 km.
For the operation of this system, under the hood we find a fuel cell, the membrane of which was developed together with Toyota. The latter drives an electric motor borrowed from the BMW iX, located on the rear axle. To compensate for the difference in power between the fuel cell and the electric motor, BMW uses a lithium-ion battery placed under the trunk floor.
Read also:
BMW: what’s new by 2025?
BMW will produce several of its electric vehicles in Mexico
BMW: an aesthetic choice that will not appeal to everyone
Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.