BMW Talk

Forget About “Ice Ice Baby,” It’s H2ICE BMW

November 19th, 2008 Posted in Alternative Fuel, Hydrogen Fuel

Over the past year or two, more and more automakers have revealed environmentally friendly versions of their top selling vehicles, and BMW is no exception, but what you may not realize is that the German carmaker has actually been working with clean energy, and specifically hydrogen as a fuel source, for more than 25 years – longer than the existence of “global warming” as a catch phrase.
Here are a few more facts about BMW’s take on hydrogen fuel:

• Not Just Fuel Cells: Along with Ford and Mazda, BMW’s hydrogen-fuelled vehicles use a “normal” internal combustion engine rather than fuel cells. The advantage of this is that while hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are still a long way from mainstream availability, the hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines (aka H2ICEs) have a much greater potential for a faster, cheaper, appearance, and just like their fuel-cell brethren, cars with H2ICEs are zero-emission vehicles with exhaust emissions primarily made of water.
• On the Road Since 2006: Hydrogen isn’t yet readily available, but in 2006, BMW introduced a new generation of its H2ICE cars, putting 100 drivers around the world behind the wheel of their bi-fuel Hydrogen 7’s. With the touch of a button, these cars can switch from using hydrogen to using conventional gasoline, and with either fuel being used, the V-12 engines under the hoods of these cars provide 260 hp, and make a top speed of 143 mph. (this is an electronically controlled limit). They hydrogen, which is stored in cryogenic liquid form, gives these vehicles a 125-mile (or more) range between refills, and increases that by 300 miles when running on gas – the separate tank for which holds 19.5 gallons. Since then, BMW has also launched the Hydrogen 7, a hydrogen-only car that gets even more impressive results across the board, improving engine performance, fuel consumption, emissions, and the distance between necessary fill-ups.
• H2ICEs Come with Big Advantages: One of the greatest items on the “pro” side of the H2ICE chart is that they only require minimal alterations to engine manufacturing and maintenance. These engines can be built on the same production lines already used for the construction of diesel and gas-only engines, and BMW does so routinely, using the same assembly lines as those which produce their more conventional 5-, 6-, and 7-series cars. To contrast, hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles require the complete redesign of both equipment and facilities, though both come with the need for specially trained technicians.
• More Affordable: Since H2ICEs have almost all of the environmental benefits of a hydrogen fuel-cell, but incur only a fraction of their cost in the construction process, their availability will help establish a “hydrogen distribution infrastructure.” As well, they’ll also cost less to buy, which is of vital importance to penny pinchers, because while going green via H2ICE might be cheaper than the alternative, finding discount auto insurance for such a vehicle is highly unlikely due to lack of data.

You’re probably thinking, “Well, all this is great, but how do they drive?” which is a valid question. BMW stresses (and reviewers agree) that hydrogen beamers still qualify for the epithet, “ultimate drivine machine.” Both the bio- and mono-fuel versions of the Hydrogen 7 share the safety features, comfort details, and performance of any other BMW 7-series car in production, with one added benefit: they’re virtually silent. Not only does this allow you to arrive home in the middle of the night without waking the neighbors, it’s also another feature fuel-cell cars don’t have. It’s almost impossible to be silent with an electric motor whirring away, after all.