© BMW Group
BMW will build a dedicated hydrogen pipeline to its Leipzig manufacturing plant by mid-2027, making it the first car factory globally to receive hydrogen directly through a pipeline.
The two-kilometre link will be built by German energy company Mitnetz Gas and gas transmission operator Ontras Gastransport, under contracts signed between the three parties. The pipeline will include pressure and metering systems and is intended to connect the facility to Germany’s planned 9,000 km national “core hydrogen network”, which is due to become fully operational by 2032.
Reducing emissions from energy-intensive production
The link will replace truck deliveries of bottled hydrogen currently used at the site and support BMW’s efforts to reduce emissions from energy-intensive production processes.
“With supplies coming in via the pipeline, we will be able to use hydrogen in completely new ways — especially for our most energy-intensive processes, such as our curing ovens in the paintshop,” said Petra Peterhänsel, director of BMW’s Leipzig plant.
Existing hydrogen operations at Leipzig facility
The Leipzig facility already uses hydrogen in several operations. Since 2013 it has deployed more than 230 fuel-cell-powered forklifts and tug trains — the largest such intralogistics fleet in Europe — refuelling at nine on-site hydrogen stations. In 2022, the plant installed the first of 11 dual-fuel burners in its paintshop, capable of running on either natural gas or hydrogen.
Germany’s core hydrogen network
Germany’s “core hydrogen network” aims to link industrial hubs and major energy users through repurposed and newly built pipelines, providing access to domestic and imported low-carbon hydrogen. The Leipzig connection is among the early industrial projects preparing to tap into the system as it rolls out in phases through the late 2020s.
BMW’s broader hydrogen strategy
BMW remains one of the few automakers maintaining a long-term commitment to hydrogen, despite waning interest in fuel-cell vehicles among peers. The company has continued developing fuel-cell systems for passenger cars while also expanding hydrogen use across its production processes.
For policymakers and investors, the Leipzig project signals the growing intersection between industrial decarbonisation and automotive manufacturing. It also underlines the potential for hydrogen infrastructure to serve not only heavy industry but other energy-intensive sectors seeking to cut reliance on fossil gas.
