Dede Sophie

With 155 deaths in road traffic incidents during 2022, fatalities were up by 13pc on the previous year, writes Brian Byrne. Figures compiled by the Road Safety Authority also revealed that the 41 pedestrians killed in 2022 was double the figure for 2021. Four in 10 of all deaths were drivers of cars. Serious injuries suffered by 1,292 people in road traffic incidents represented a slight decrease on the 2021 figures. 

The BMW Group has revealed its iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet that will go into service this year, writes Trish Whelan. After four years of development work, the iX5 Hydrogen vehicle and development project is entering its critical next phase. The fleet of under 100 vehicles will be employed internationally for demonstration and trial purposes for various target groups. The iX5 Hydrogen was developed on the basis of the current X5.  The BMW Group sources the individual fuel cells from the Toyota Motor Corporation. The two companies have enjoyed a partnership for many years and have been collaborating on fuel cell drive systems since 2013.  BMW say the car will have a range of 504km in the WLTP cycle. Filling up the hydrogen tanks only takes three to four minutes and that the car can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6 secs.  The iX5 Hydrogen is being built in the BMW Group’s pilot plant at its Research and Innovation Centre in Munich.