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The Innovation Days are an annual event where BMW shows off new technologies that are coming down the pike. This year, the two most interesting technologies on display were BMW's first fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and direct water injection.

First, let's talk about the beast. We know very little about it, except that it's somehow related to the i8. Unlike the real i8, which has both electric and petrol engines, this prototype is powered purely by hydrogen. Top Gear reports that it can do 0-62mph (0-100km/h) in about six seconds, and tops out at 124mph—so, a lot slower than the real i8, too.

Next, the 5 Series GT FCV. We know a lot more about this one. Back in 2013, BMW inked a partnership with Toyota to have "an initial group of approved components ready by 2020." It appears that Toyota seems to be focusing on the fuel cell, while BMW is putting its efforts into the hydrogen tank, electric motor, and batteries. The idea is that, if BMW and Toyota work together on a single standard for hydrogen FCEVs, other factors—reliability, safety, hydrogen refuelling stations, consumer adoption—become a lot more streamlined.

Toyota revealed its first FCEV offering, the Mirai, back in November 2014, and recently unveiled some pictures of its fuel cell production line. The Mirai is expected to go on sale in the US later this year, at the not-cheap price of $57,500 (~£37,000).

There's no timeline or pricing for the 5 Series GT FCV at this point, though we do know that the e-motor is derived from the i3 and i8, and that the fuel cell can produce around 245 horsepower. The fuel tank, a cryogenic up-to-350-bar pressure vessel (see gallery above), provides a range of over 300 miles (500km)—though whether there'll be a hydrogen refuelling station at the other end of the journey is another question entirely.

As a quick refresher, hydrogen fuel cells are locally emission-free: the hydrogen is combined with oxygen, creating water and electricity. The efficiency of a hydrogen fuel cell is generally much higher than an internal combustion engine, too. The setbacks are that it's very hard to store hydrogen (both in the vehicle's fuel tanks, but also at refuelling stations), and that fuel cells are relatively expensive compared to conventional EVs, like Tesla's Model S.