LA Auto Show: BMW officials see Hydrogen 7 as peek of the future
Reaction to the BMW Hydrogen 7 is divided into two camps: Those impressed with the innovative technology that allows a luxury car to run on either gasoline or liquiefied hydrogen, and those wondering if the anyone will ever be able to drive it. BMW unveiled the Hydrogen 7 to the public for the first time today at the Los Angeles Auto Show amid boasts of its green achievements. Tom Purves, head of the North American operations, called it a strategy of sustainability and pointed to a recent report from Environmental Defense that said BMW had the biggest reduction in fleet average CO2 emissions of all major automakers from 1990 to 2003. Purves said BMW reduced its output by 13 percent and the nearest competitor was only 3 percent. Also, BMW has led the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for two years and is the only automotive company to be on the index since it was created in 1999.
The Hydrogen 7 has the potential for zero emissions by burning hydrogen in its 6-liter 12-cylinder engine. Of course, skeptics say producing hydrogen creates CO2 or is very expensive. Bottom line: there are only a few facilities in the world that can refuel the Hydrogen 7's noticeable tank. Timm Kehler, BMW's vice president for marketing innovation projects, told AutoblogGren that the Hydrogen 7 was built for the future.
"This is a statement that we're doing to stimulate interest in hydrogen," said Kehler, saying he felt the initial reaction to the vehicle has been "spectacular."
Kehler said the vehicle is the result of nearly three decades of research as the company has always been the pursuit of sustainability, zero emissions and the independence of fossil fuel. "This is in order to safeguard our commercial future," he said.
There were two technology breakthroughs allowing BMW to build 100 Hydrogen 7 vehicles for testing. First is the super-insulated storage tank to hold the liquid hydrogen. "If you put a snowman in this tank it would live for 13 years," said Kehler, noting that BMW fulfilled all the security and safety requirements necessary for using deep-cooled, liquid hydrogen. Next was developing an engine-management system that equally matched the power curve of the engine on each of two fuels. The engine has two complete fuel systems, including fuel injectors, to support the fuel choice of the driver. "There are no compromises when driving this car," Kehler said.
See more photos of the BMW Hydrogen 7 after the break
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 9:09PM (11/29/2006)
Hydrogen is D.O.A. Get over it!!!
Energy storage by hydrogen is only 25 % efficient at best. The remaining 75% or more is lost in electrolysis, compression or liquefaction, transportation and fuel cell and that’s if we use solar or wind electricity to produce the Hydrogen. We will never have the infrastructure for this BOMB. Why, it’s bad science! Hydrogen is being promoted to maintain the energy monopolies. Producing electricity and storing in batteries or capacitors is over 85% efficient and the infrastructure has been here for many years. You can make it at home with solar panels. With VegOil or B100 Bio-diesel (you can make that at home too) PHEV-60s we can break our addiction to petroleum and free our farmers from gov’t subsidy addiction. With clean, pure VegOil or B100 PHEV-50, we would no longer be subject to the whims of the energy monopolies who want to exploit us or the religious zealots who want to kill us. Electricity is 3-4 times more efficient to make and requires no fossil fuels in its production. Hydrogen from coal or natural gas… Give me a break!!
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George Krpan 11:22PM (11/29/2006)
Thanks Tim, you saved me the trouble.
I don't agree about the farming, however.
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ThwartedEfforts 4:53AM (11/30/2006)
Maybe the 7 is a good choice. It was universally derided at launch (actually, it's still really bloody ugly, and it's only BMW's luck that ugly is the new black) and yet has become so popular it has now sold more than any of its predecessors.
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Andy 10:59PM (11/30/2006)
Tim is trying too hard. We don't need any more of the "go electric" (won't get big) or "go diesel" (will never take off in the US) crowd. I look forward to seeing the Hydrogen 7 and the technology of tomorrow taking shape.
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CM 2:21AM (12/01/2006)
A spectacularly bad idea. Look at those photos and cutaway drawings - that hydrogen tank is HUGE! I estimate the Hydrogen 7 gas tank about 11 gallons, they hydrogen tank about 24 gallons! They had to leave out the spare tire, and there is still very little trunk space.
Why so huge? A gallon of liquid hydrogen has 1/4 the energy of a gallon or gasoline. Even with that huge tank, the range on hydrogen is a pathetic 120 miles.
Not that it will ever burn much hydrogen. Too few refill facilities, and running on hydrogen will cost twice as much as running on gasoline. Whoever is unlucky enough to be stuck with this lemon should take the sensible choice.
Good thing, too, as hydrogen will slowly dissolve into the steel of the engine, turning it brittle, and eventually causing some engine part to shatter with disasterous results.
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CM 3:31AM (12/09/2006)
After finding more details elsewhere, it turns out my initial estimates were wrong. The "BMW Hydrogen 7" gasoline tank is 19.7 gallons, the liquid hydrogen tank is 30 gallons.
The milage is approx. 15 mpg on gasoline, 4 mpg on liquid hydrogen. BMW should be horribly embarrased to be producing such a poorly engineered gas guzzling vehicle.
It looks like maybe BMW deliberately chose the worst possible vehicle for their Hydrogen debut, to assure that it utterly and totally fails. That way, they can just keep producing mediocre gas guzzlers for sale to people with more money than sense.
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formfaktor 11:50AM (12/20/2006)
I cannot believe the incessant nay-sayers. We are in a time (finally) the big dogs have to consider alternatives to how we create energy. Any alternative proposed does its job to do this. And any research into those alternative will spawn new ideas and create the necessary momentum to change how be produce energy. To assume that one or the other idea is out before it's really in is just plain stupid and kills the spirit of cooperative science to reach that goal.
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Tim 1:45PM (12/20/2006)
Read this and tell me you still think Hydrogen is viable. http://www.oilcrash.com/articles/h_scam.htm
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Bing 3:17AM (8/06/2007)
The use of hydrogen internal combustion engine still has a long way to go. First，there is very little hydrogen station. The aim we buy a car is to use it,If it can't meet our needs,there is no value!
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