Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Damo
BMW had a hydrogen 7 series a while back, it was on youtube.
I think the problem is it has to be stored at a really low temperature, the figure -270 degrees comes to mind for some reason, or I may be thinking of something else.
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The liquid-burning BMW Hydrogen 7 came out nearly 8 years ago, and wasn't efficient or practical enough to get up off the ground as a mass-produced vehicle. Things seem to have come a way since then though with fuel cell tech. Hyundai is getting ready to release the iX35 Fuel Cell (Tucson) SUV later this year as the first mass market hydrogen car, available on lease in California only for around $500 per month including maintenance and fuel costs. Toyota and Honda say they are close on its heels with their fuel cell models due to follow in 2015.
Rather than combusting liquid H it uses a fuel cell to drive an electric motor and appears to have a practical range (hard to know who to believe though), top speed and refueling time. It carries around 5kg of H2 on board and the setup doesn't look to be badly intrusive on cargo space - it's diminished by 1.9 cubic feet (54 litres?) compared with a standard Tucson.
A lack of hydrogen stations outside a couple of LA looks like a major current limitation although apparently there are more planned throughout San Fransisco and LA. Will this restricted coverage along with a limited build number of 1000 vehicles in California see it go the way of the BMW 7 or will it become a viable alternative?