BMW testing a hydrogen-fueled car

[Roger in Kensington]

Some of you may recall a discussion we were having back in March of this year in which I pointed out some of the impracticalities regarding the use of hydrogen as an automotive fuel.

There is an article in the automotive section of today's Washington Times that demonstrates this.

BMW has built a bi-fuel car that can run on either gasoline of liquid hydrogen. The thing I found to be most interesting (apart from the precipitous loss of power) is that the car has two tanks, a 16.3 gallon tank for the gasoline and a 45 gallon tank for the hydrogen.

The car will travel 310 miles on the gasoline, but only 125 miles on the hydrogen.

Doing the math, that's 19 miles per gallon using gasoline, but only 2.8 miles per gallon using hydrogen.

That's because hydrogen contains considerably less energy than an equivalent amount of gasoline. And there is no environmental advantage using hydrogen as a transportation fuel. Also, hydrogen is very expensive.

[Nightrage]

Just think, some time down the road, people will be trying to drop these motors into their cars rather than LSX motors. That's scary to think about. First gens with hydrogen powered motors. Yeesh

[Joe 1320]

Trying to use hydrogen as a fuel source for a fuel based vehicle wouldn't appear to be practical. The correct application would be to use the hydrogen as a fuel in a generator to recharge the battery system on an electric vehicle.

[Joe 1320]

Ah..... lookie what I found.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article....tentid=4024414

"Wow, 2,929 Pound-Feet of Torque!
For all its white-hot technology and huge development costs, there's an air of arrant normality about the way the Sequel drives. Select "DRIVE" from the control panel on the center console, tickle the throttle and the Sequel zips off the line with an unexpected eagerness which belies its 4,774 pound curb weight.

A look at some figures explains why acceleration is remarkably lively. The electric motor powering the front wheels produces 1,740 pounds feet of torque. Each of the motors in the rear wheels produce 590 lbs.-ft. for an astonishing combined total of 2,920 lbs.-ft. of torque—all of which is delivered instantly by this all-wheel drive system.

When accelerating, the slight whine of the electric motors continuously increases without interruption of transmission shifts. That's because there is no transmission, the Sequel incorporates a direct drive design. Accelerator pedal, brake pedal and steering all act and "feel" remarkably similar to a normal car-based SUV, but that feeling is artificial. GM engineers have programmed the by wire driving controls to simulate driving feedback. And, in fact, the feedback can be personalized to meet different drivers' preferences.

When I commented to my front seat passenger, Dr. Mohsen Shabana, chief engineer for the Sequel, that the brake pedal had a somewhat soft, mushy feeling, he changed it to a more positive touch in about ten seconds with a few keystrokes on a laptop. "

and a few tidbits about the propulsion....

"Since the purpose of the Sequel's program was to make a real car with real-world driving capabilities, Borroni-Bird said the engineering design began with the hydrogen storage tanks. The three carbon composite high-pressure tanks store 8Kg of hydrogen pressurized to 10,000 psi, giving the Sequel the targeted 300 mile driving range.

The hydrogen is directed to a fuel cell propulsion module that consists of the fuel-cell stack, hydrogen and air processing subsystem, cooling system, and the high-voltage distribution system. Located under the driver's feet, it produces and sends 73 kW to the electric traction motors, enough output to deliver a 0 to 60 mph time of 10 seconds—quicker than some minivans.

And regardless of how quickly the Sequel accelerates, or regardless if it cruises at the top speed of 90 mph for miles, the process of converting the hydrogen to electricity through the fuel cell stack produces no harmful emissions, just traces of steam from the tailpipe.

Completing the propulsion system is a rectangular 65 kW lithium-ion high power battery pack under the rear seat area. The rear wheel hub motors serve a dual role as generators, capturing energy through regenerative braking to recharge the battery pack in the same manner as a hybrid vehicle.

And under the hood—yes there is a conventional hood that opens—is the Sequel's air conditioning unit. Borroni-Bird said it is similar to a home window unit that is simply plugged in. "


Cool stuff! Imagine that much torque available with a few keystrokes on a laptop.