BMW Readies Hydrogen 7 Series for 2007

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BMW announced yesterday plans to produce 100 hydrogen-powered 7 Series sedans in the U.S. for 2007. Though the hydrogen 7 Series will be a full-fledged, road-going vehicle, the automaker will loan the car only to select owners. The full-size sedan, coming sometime next year, uses a 260-hp V-12 that draws fuel from either a 19.5-gallon tank or a secondary tank with 17.6 pounds of liquid hydrogen.

The automaker says the hydrogen 7 has a range of 125 miles off the hydrogen tank and 300 miles off the gas tank — a good thing, as there are only two liquid hydrogen fuel stations in the country, one in Los Angeles and one in Washington D.C., according to BMW spokesman Andreas Klugescheid. He’s hopeful there will eventually be more.

“It’s the usual chicken and egg thing,” Klugescheid said. “You won’t have any filling stations if you don’t have any cars.”

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Unlike gas-based hydrogen vehicles, the 7 Series uses liquid hydrogen, which Klugescheid said has much higher energy density than gas. Gaseous hydrogen is more widely available, however; Klugescheid estimated there are between 40 and 45 stations in the U.S.

Automakers have promoted hydrogen-powered vehicles as a carbon dioxide-free alternative to gas-powered cars. A handful of models — like Honda’s FCX and GM’s hydrogen-diesel buses — have made it onto the streets in certain states, and plenty more sit in concept-car form. Even so, the limited refueling infrastructure means mainstream hydrogen cars are probably years away.



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Автор: RaymondLilly на 03:53
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