Tony Whitney
Contributing Writer

WE hear plenty of talk
about alternate fuels in
these days of high
gasoline prices, but
most of it centres on
natural gas and
propane.

Hydrogen has been tout-
ed as a possible alternate fuel
for motor vehicles for some
years, bux the public percep-
tion is that this fuel is volatile
and difficult to store and dis-
pense. It’s a fuel we might
see more of in the future
when fuel cells finally debut
in vehicles we can actually
buy, but lice more than that.

“But if hydrogen is a non-
runner in che alternate fuel
stakes, the news hasn’s
reached BMW yer. The
Bavarian automaker is so con-
vinced of the viability of
hydrogen that it’s into its
fourth Generation test sedan

filed up at a hydrogen ser-
vice station located right on
the airport property. It was
an interesting experience, but
a common enough routine at
Munich airport, where many
of the vehicles used around
the facility, including apron
buses, are hydrogen-fucled.
BMW is operating 15 of
its 750hL models on a daily
basis in both Munich and
Hanover. When running on.
hydrogen, the car's 12-evlin-
der engine develops 204
horsepower, tops 100 km/h
in 9.6-seconds and is capable
of a top speed of 226 km/h.
The car’s 140-litre cryogenic
hydrogen tank gives the fully
equipped luxury car a range
of 350 km. The cars are dual
fuel units capable of being
run on gasoline when need-
ed. After all, you won't find a
hydrogen filling station on
every street corner just vet.
The only major moditica-
tions to make the big BMW's
engine run on hydrogen
invoive the intake ports,

using that fuel. In fact, BMW
has made a sesious commit-
ment to the future of hvdro-
gen asa vehicle fuel and is
chiming that its small fleet of
750hL hyrdrogen-fueled
sedans are the first such vehi-
cles in series production in
the world.

I recendy rode from
downtown Munich to the
city’s airport (a lengthy trip)
ina BMW 750hL and even

Troopers 1.9% finance rate
is considerably less than
its
Assuming it has

closest competitor.
any.

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gen as future fuel

ing to BMW.

Interestingly, the 750hL is
also clajined as the world’s
first production car with a
fuel cell. Several of the BMW
hydrogen sedans have their
on-board power supplies gen-
erated by a fuel cell. A com-
pact fuel cell takes the place
of the usual lead-acid battery
and supplies power to the
heater, air-conditioner and

which have additional injector
valves for hydrogen. The
engines come off the same
production line as other
BMW powerplants and are
installed in the vehicle using
the same assembly tech-
niques.

BMW says that its hydro-
gen vehicles are just as safe as
gasoline-fteled cars. The
hydrogen is stored in a dou-
ble-walled steel tank behind
the rear seat back — resulting
in some loss of trunk space.

The fuel is cryogenic, or
in an ultra low-temperature
condition of minus 253 C.
Safety has been assured by
numerous crash tests. BMW
points out that even ina very
severe nose-to-tail collision in
which the colliding vehicle
teaches the hydrogen tank,
the double-walled tank would
not leak,

Even in the severest possi-
ble crash, which would prob-
ably involve little chance of
occupant survival, the hydro-
gen cannot explode, accord-

coueHon Home,

ToS RECH.

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other ancillaries. Since the air
conditioner is independent,
the cars interior can be
cooled even when the engine
is not running. Hydrogen,
incidentally, seems to be the
fuel of choice for future vehi-
cles powered entirely by fuel
celis.

Hydrogen is a clean, effi-

See Water page 38

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