BMW to Deliver Hydrogen 7

Anthony Fontanelle
May 16, 2007

The current trend in the auto industry is the development and production of environment friendly vehicles. This trend is the result of increasing prices of petroleum fuel and the increasing awareness concerning global warming. Different alternative technologies are already being use by car manufacturers to reduce the amount of fossil fuel consumed by vehicles thus reducing greenhouse gas emission which contributes heavily to global warming.

In the United States, hybrid technology is favored and it is evident in the fact that even celebrities are known to drive gas-electric hybrid cars. While hybrid vehicles reduce the amount of fossil fuel burned, it is not the most promising clean vehicle technology. That distinction belongs to fuel-cell technology which uses hydrogen as fuel and eliminates the use of petroleum fuel and greenhouse gas emission. BMW is aware of this fact that is why they have developed a car based on the 7 series but it can run on both gasoline and hydrogen fuel.

The Hydrogen 7 as the vehicle is called will make its appearance next week on the roads of the United Kingdom. The vehicle is the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan in the world. Initially, BMW will deliver eight of these cars in the UK as part of their Clean Energy program. The said environment-friendly initiative involves production of 100 units of the Hydrogen 7. According to Jim O’Donnell, BMW UK’s Managing Director: “The arrival of our Hydrogen 7 cars could not have come at a better time. Politicians, business leaders, the media and consumers are engaged in healthy debate on the future of energy supply and use. Meanwhile, the automotive industry is committed to cleaner motoring, with a host of possible solutions available today and being developed for the mid- and long-term. BMW is at the core of the future of motoring with tremendous developments in petrol and diesel engines, hybrid powertrains and hydrogen technologies.”

O’Donnell added that: “Our EfficientDynamics programme has introduced energy-saving technologies that break through the 60 miles per gallon and one hundred and twenty grams per kilometer CO2 barriers, our new diesels are cleaner and greener than many of today’s hybrids, yet power and performance in all of our cars has improved. Clean, green motoring can also be engaging and dynamic, and the new BMW Hydrogen 7 models epitomize that philosophy.” The vehicles that will be delivered by BMW will be used on high profile events to promote the technology.

While fuel-cell is the most environment friendly alternative fuel technology, its use is hampered by different problems. One of these is the cost of production. Since fuel-cell technology uses advanced components, the cost of these materials makes hydrogen-fueled vehicles impractical for most car buyers. Ongoing research and development though is expected to reduce the production cost of these green cars.

Another problem faced by the use of hydrogen-powered vehicles is the availability of refilling stations offering hydrogen fuel. Uwe Ellinghaus has this to say about that issue: “The age-old chicken-and-egg debate has now been resolved. BMW can produce hydrogen-powered cars on the production line and the time is right to engage with business leaders and politicians in order to progress the development of a hydrogen highway - the fuelling and infrastructure requirements that make hydrogen a viable fuel for the consumer. We hope that experiencing these cars in normal driving situations will encourage people to join the debate. Without doubt, it will take many years for a suitable infrastructure to develop that makes hydrogen power an easy option for the consumer, but all indications are hydrogen is the only genuine long-term sustainable power source for cars. Public hydrogen filling stations have been developed in Germany and California, and the presence of BMW Hydrogen 7 cars in the UK will undoubtedly bring the future closer for British drivers.”

The BMW Hydrogen 7 is equipped with an internal combustion engine engineered to run on both gasoline and hydrogen fuel. Switching between gasoline and hydrogen is as easy as pushing a button. When one decides to change from gasoline to hydrogen, the power output and performance is not affected making the car one of the most convenient flex-fuel vehicles. To enable the car to run on both fuel, BMW equipped the Hydrogen with two fuel tanks. The use of these two fuels gives the Hydrogen a cruising range of more than 425 miles. With the hydrogen fuel, the car is expected to run for 125 miles while for the gasoline, it can get 300 miles on a full tank.

In terms of performance, the Hydrogen 7 is true to its lineage as a BMW. It also uses the same BMW components for its chassis and other systems like BMW brake calipers, shock absorbers, and the steering system assembly.

Source:  Amazines.com