Wired News: Road Testing BMW's Hydrogen 7 Nov 13, 10:18
By Bruce Gain
02:00 AM Nov, 13, 2006
BERLIN -- Jules Verne, in his 1874 novel The Mysterious Island, described hydrogen as an "inexhaustible source of heat and light." A little over 130 years later, BMW is testing the theory with an innovative internal combustion engine that burns the lightest element much like gasoline, only cleaner.
Wired News was invited to test-drive one of BMW's new Hydrogen 7 automobiles recently. It proved a serious step forward in using hydrogen as a potential energy source for cars, while showing defects that make the concept a clear work in progress.
BMW is the only major carmaker to bring a car with a hydrogen-combustion engine beyond the prototype stage.
The automaker's approach is markedly different than the more familiar concept of hydrogen-powered fuel cells, where energy is stored before it is converted into electricity. By contrast, BMW's Hydrogen 7 is powered by pumping hydrogen into a combustion engine and igniting it. The engine can burn both hydrogen and gasoline, and switches between the two at the flick of a switch.
Burning hydrogen is more efficient than converting it into electricity, making it the more practical choice for hydrogen-fueled cars now, according to BMW.
The automaker is taking that premise to the road with a limited test release next year. BMW said it will put 100 of the hydrogen models into circulation in the United States, Europe and Asia. The cars will be loaned to high-profile people, BMW says, such as celebrities and politicians. If the cars become sufficiently popular, BMW says it can go into full-scale production, without commenting how much the model will cost.
Full story from the Wired website
02:00 AM Nov, 13, 2006
BERLIN -- Jules Verne, in his 1874 novel The Mysterious Island, described hydrogen as an "inexhaustible source of heat and light." A little over 130 years later, BMW is testing the theory with an innovative internal combustion engine that burns the lightest element much like gasoline, only cleaner.
Wired News was invited to test-drive one of BMW's new Hydrogen 7 automobiles recently. It proved a serious step forward in using hydrogen as a potential energy source for cars, while showing defects that make the concept a clear work in progress.
BMW is the only major carmaker to bring a car with a hydrogen-combustion engine beyond the prototype stage.
The automaker's approach is markedly different than the more familiar concept of hydrogen-powered fuel cells, where energy is stored before it is converted into electricity. By contrast, BMW's Hydrogen 7 is powered by pumping hydrogen into a combustion engine and igniting it. The engine can burn both hydrogen and gasoline, and switches between the two at the flick of a switch.
Burning hydrogen is more efficient than converting it into electricity, making it the more practical choice for hydrogen-fueled cars now, according to BMW.
The automaker is taking that premise to the road with a limited test release next year. BMW said it will put 100 of the hydrogen models into circulation in the United States, Europe and Asia. The cars will be loaned to high-profile people, BMW says, such as celebrities and politicians. If the cars become sufficiently popular, BMW says it can go into full-scale production, without commenting how much the model will cost.
Full story from the Wired website
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BMW produces its first street-legal car with a hydrogen-powered combustion engine. The automaker says it will put 100 of the Hydrogen 7 cars in circulation next year in the United States, Europe and Asia. Photo: Bruce Gain/Wired.
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The 12-cylinder, 6.0-liter engine is sealed shut. When sensors detect that the housing is open, or if there is a hydrogen gas leak, the engine automatically shuts down. Photo: Bruce Gain/Wired.
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