Hydrogen Car’s Major setback is cost

“Hydrogen still some distance in the Future,”The Irish Times, June 4, 2008

Despite being billed by many in the car industry as the fuel of the future for many years, hydrogen
remains rather limited due to a lack of supply infrastructrue, as Michael McAleer, Motoring Editor,
discovered recently when taking out the BMW Hydrogen 7 test car on the Continent.AS WE hit
motorway cruising speed on a relatively empty - and unrestricted - autobahn out of Munich, we're
leaving nothing more than a trail of water in our wake. Welcome to the wonderful world of hydrogen
power, billed as the fuel of the future for over 20 years now.Our water-emitting chariot is a BMW 7-
Series with a revamped six-litre V12 engine that can produce 260bhp and reach speeds of 229km/h.
The difference is that the car is dual fuel: running on either regular fossil-fuel petrol or liquid
hydrogen. The choice of fuel is determined by a small button on the steering wheel. Click it at your
leisure and the only difference is in the emissions spewing out the back. One is loaded with carbon,
one of many emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, but the one most demonised as destroyer of
our planet in recent years. The other is that wonderfully neutral H2O.For those inside, there seemed
only the most minor of clicking sounds as we popped back and forth from one fuel to the other.
Engineers are adamant there is no difference in power output from this dual fuel engine.So is it the
guilt-free answer to luxury motoring? Yes and no. Sadly there are limitations. For a start this only the
latest in a long line of experimental hydrogen models built by BMW. The first was created as early as
1984. Despite all the years of development and research, this car remains one of the most expensive
we have ever driven, carrying with it a sizeable seven-figure price tag (though BMW would not
confirm the actual cost).

The Car Industry Believes that infustructure is the only thing holding hydrogen cars back
“Hydrogen still some distance in the Future,”The Irish Times, June 4, 2008
And while we might be able to join the ranks of Madonna and her ilk who have been given the
opportunity to power ahead using hydrogen, there remains no plans to put this car into production,
even as a high-priced option in the new 7-Series range due for introduction later this year. It seems
we are still a long way from the promises made by the car industry at the turn of this century.
Welcome to the future of the car, one powered by hydrogen. Its the fuel for 2010. That was the line
used on a press release from a small car firm at the Geneva motor show back in 2002.With 2008
nearly halfway through, the idea of a global change to hydrogen by that date seems incredibly far-
fetched. Not only are the cars themselves exorbitantly expensive and far from mainstream
production, but the infrastructure to support them is still in its infancy.Yet some of the brightest brains
in the car industry remain convinced that hydrogen is the fuel of the future. For them, its only a
matter of time and some engine and infrastructure tweaking.The problem is that they have been slow
to enact either improved engine capabilities and infrastructure changes. The former means that even
after two decades of development, BMWs latest hydrogen car still only has a range of 200km on the
liquid fuel. Hydogren in this format is measured in kgs, with one of the only hydrogen filling stations
in Munich - unsurprisingly located near BMWs headquarters, selling the fuel at EUR 8 per kg.

Hydrogen Cars only release water vapor

Bryan Littley, “H2 go-We Drive the World’s First Hydrogen Production-ready car- Clean
Green Future” CarsGuide Eddition, November 17, 2006, Lexis Nexis, July 7, 2008
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
BMW has identified hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, as the fuel of the future
because of ease of supply and its environmental benefits.Cars fuelled by hydrogen emit little more
than water vapour, taking harmful carbon dioxide out of the emissions equation. The BMW Hydrogen
7 is powered by a monofuel combustion engine that runs on hydrogen and petrol. BMW has been
developing hydrogen technology for the past 20 years, stepping up this latest project over the past
five years.The six-litre V12 Hydrogen 7 can cover about 200km on its 8kg tank of liquid hydrogen.
Running the car on petrol gives another 500km of driving. The 220kg double-skinned hydrogen fuel
tank stores 8kg of liquid hydrogen (10kg of H2 equals 38L of petrol) which can carry the car about
 200km under average driving conditions.There is no fuel cell technology in the Hydrogen 7, as has
been the push of other carmakers. Switching the car from hydrogen to petrol is done with the push of
a button, without interrupting travel.

Hydrogen Car Emits no gases responsible for Global Warming

The Dominion Post (Wellington, New Zealand), June 18, 2008 Wednesday,
BUSINESS; Pg. 5

HONDA has begun commercial production of the FCX Clarity, a car that has a
hydrogen fuel cell and emits no greenhouse gases. The mid-sized four-seat sedan,
which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water vapour and none of the
gases believed to be responsible for global warming. Honda says its fuel efficiency
is twice as good as a petrol-electric hybrid and three times that of a petrol-powered
car. The car will initially be available for lease next month to a limited number of
customers in southern California and then in Japan later this year. Honda expects to
lease a few dozen in the United States and Japan within a year. The biggest
obstacles to wider adoption of fuel-cell cars include cost and the lack of hydrogen
fuelling stations. AP

Hydrogen cars are safe from leaks

“Hydrogen still some distance in the Future,”The Irish Times, June 4, 2008
Finally, there remain some obvious concerns about safety. Hydrogen is highly flammable and one
common worry is over a potential leak. As it does not have a smell, colour or taste, hydrogen cars
are fitted with a plethora of monitors and sensors. Thankfully the fuel tanks are virtually indestructible,
according to BMW engineers. There are also several valve cut-off points on the reinforced hydrogen
fuel lines.