1. BMW’s Hydrogen Powered Vehicles
Tamer Hassanein
ITMG 100
April 26, 2005

2. Fossil Fuels: The problem
Coal, Oil, and Gas: Provide 66% of electrical power and 95% of the world’s total energy demands which includes heat, transportation, electricity generation, and other uses
Guaranteed to run out in the near future ( years)
Advantages: Transportation is cheap and easy, fossil fuel stations can be built virtually anywhere as long as they can be supplied.
Disadvantages: Pollution created from them releases carbon dioxide which leads to the greenhouse effect, sulphur dioxide leads to acid rain

3. Hydrogen: The Solution?
Hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the environment: It won’t run out
Fossil fuels are limited in supply. Once they are used they are gone forever
When Hydrogen is burned it combines with oxygen and emits water vapor
Problems with hydrogen: Transportation and storage because it needs to be reduced to -423 degrees Fahrenheit to become a liquid
Major advantage over gasoline: When burned it creates 3 times the energy

4. Hybrid vs Hydrogen
By definition, a hybrid car is simply one that runs from two fuel sources I.e. gasoline and electricity
However…
Electric cars have been around since the 1840s and were even used as taxis in New York in the early 1900s, so the idea of using gas and electricity is not pure genius

5. BMW’s Ongoing Research: Quick Timeline
Since 1979 BMW has been researching and testing hydrogen as an alternate fuel source and started with the 520, a prototype with an engine that runs on liquid hydrogen or gasoline
BMW builds and road tests three generations of hydrogen cars
BMW uses the 750 iL as the platform for the fifth generation hydrogen car, the 750 hL. They make 15 of them which create the world’s first fleet of hydrogen-powered cars and collectively travel a distance of 100,000 miles
2001 Create a redesigned 7 series, the sixth generation car: 745h
2004 BMWs H2R hydrogen-based racecar sets nine speed records and raises the bar

6. Normal Gasoline Engine vs Hydrogen Engine
In a normal gasoline engine fuel is injected into the combustion chambers
In BMW’s hydrogen-powered engines injection valves are directly integrated into the intake manifolds
Hydrogen combusts faster than and at a higher temperature than gasoline and as a result the hydrogen/air mixture is only ignited when the piston reaches the top, directly in the middle of the cylinder, which provides maximum power output
Until hydrogen becomes the norm, BMW’s hydrogen vehicles will run on both hydrogen and gasoline

7. Re-fueling Procedure by BMW
Easier than with a gasoline powered car
When driver pulls up to the station, the vehicle is recognized as a hydrogen-powered car by use of a tank card or electronic remote control
An automated robot can the tell whether the car needs liquid or gaseous hydrogen
Hydrogen gas will not leak into the air because by the time the tank is nearly empty, the hydrogen that is left is in a gaseous state. As the -423 degree F liquid is pumped into the tank, the gas that is left condenses and reduces the pressure on the tank

8. Refueling Stations for BMW and Others
Liquid hydrogen is not widely available yet
There are two fueling stations in Germany, one in Munich and the other in Berlin
There are plans for BMW to build 24 hydrogen fueling stations in California
Shell Hydrogen LLC is also involved in a project to create 5 refueling stations: Washington, New York, California, and along the eastern seaboard

9. H2R (Hydrogen Record Car)
The first hydrogen-powered racecar
Born and raised in 10 months but has already set nine speed records at the proving grounds in Mirasmas, France
Based on the 6.0 liter, 12 cylinder gasoline engine of the 760i
Produces 232 horsepower and despite its lower power, the car can go 187 MPH, faster than the 355 HP gasoline-powered Porsche Carrera S, which does 182 MPH

10. Production Vehicles: 745h
BMW will use the h as the base for its first production cars
Will eventually be called the H7
Has two fuel tanks, one for liquid hydrogen and the other for gasoline
Same 4.4 liter V8 engine as the 745i, however it produces 182 HP instead of the usual 325 HP.
Will reach 60 MPH in 9.9 seconds and a top speed of 134 MPH
When compared to hybrid vehicles this is actually quite good performance

11. More advantages to Hydrogen
Everyday it seems we hear of rising fuel costs due to short supply and inelastic demand
In the U.S., we rely a great deal on our cars for transportation because public transportation is a joke
Since hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe and there is no chance we will run out, we should never face problems of low supply or no supply
Will also eliminate the need of exploiting Alaska’s precious environment for oil

12. References http://www.bmwusa.com/hydrogen