[size=-1]BMW says - "We don't need no stinking fuel cells"
BMW is working on a new type of hybrid car, according to technology chief Raymond Freymann. [/size] [size=-1]In an interview published on US consumer website Edmunds.com, he said that he agreed with GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler that hydrogen is the fuel of the future: "There is no doubt in my mind about this. We are running out of fossil fuels. Hydrogen is the perfect alternative. It is clean-burning - so no pollution - and abundant. The world is full of hydrogen." However, he departs from the usual line that fuel cells - on-board conversion of hydrogen to electrical energy - are the way to go, saying that hydrogen-powered traditional internal combustion engine designs (as in the current 7-series prototypes) are more effective. "We think that the future is not so radical. We're not sure fuel cells will happen - other than as the power source for everything driven electronically, such as air conditioning, in-car entertainment, lights, etc. For this application, the fuel cell makes perfect sense. But as the power source for driving the car? That is a huge step. Rather, we think the internal combustion engine, fuelled by liquid hydrogen, is perfect. The technology exists. The internal combustion engine also offers much better power density and efficiency than fuel cells. Fuel cells have such a long way to go. I'm not sure anyone would be able to pay the bills."[/size]
[size=-1]Freymann goes on to say that "hydrogen will work best in direct-injection engines with supercharging", and says that its commercial viability will depend on the establishment of a suitable refuelling infrastructure, though this is underway already in Germany. He adds that hydrogen can be obtained from sustainable sources, such as electrolysis from water, though in the short term, it will probably be extracted from natural gas.[/size]
[size=-1]He is less than enthusiastic about the current petrol-electric hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, however, pointing out that they are far heavier than their standard equivalents, and "when you drive on the highway, or out of town, the little petrol engine has to lug an inoperative electric engine and a stack of batteries. This is a waste of energy. Only in downtown driving does the hybrid make any sense. Plus the batteries are so inefficient. In all hybrid cars currently on sale, you can only use about 5 percent of the battery power available, that is all... Diesels have more potential. Diesels are fun to drive, fast, less expensive than hybrids and more efficient".[/size]
[size=-1]However, BMW is working on its own hybrid, Freymann says, which is "lighter, faster and more efficient." It works using super-capacitors instead of batteries, which are lighter and store less power, but give access to 100percent of that power at any one time, sufficient to help out the petrol engine for fast initial acceleration. "There's not much fun in driving a current hybrid", he said. "We build performance cars. BMWs must continue to offer driving enjoyment. It is absolutely possible to do that and to be eco-friendly."[/size]
BMW is working on a new type of hybrid car, according to technology chief Raymond Freymann. [/size] [size=-1]In an interview published on US consumer website Edmunds.com, he said that he agreed with GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler that hydrogen is the fuel of the future: "There is no doubt in my mind about this. We are running out of fossil fuels. Hydrogen is the perfect alternative. It is clean-burning - so no pollution - and abundant. The world is full of hydrogen." However, he departs from the usual line that fuel cells - on-board conversion of hydrogen to electrical energy - are the way to go, saying that hydrogen-powered traditional internal combustion engine designs (as in the current 7-series prototypes) are more effective. "We think that the future is not so radical. We're not sure fuel cells will happen - other than as the power source for everything driven electronically, such as air conditioning, in-car entertainment, lights, etc. For this application, the fuel cell makes perfect sense. But as the power source for driving the car? That is a huge step. Rather, we think the internal combustion engine, fuelled by liquid hydrogen, is perfect. The technology exists. The internal combustion engine also offers much better power density and efficiency than fuel cells. Fuel cells have such a long way to go. I'm not sure anyone would be able to pay the bills."[/size]
[size=-1]Freymann goes on to say that "hydrogen will work best in direct-injection engines with supercharging", and says that its commercial viability will depend on the establishment of a suitable refuelling infrastructure, though this is underway already in Germany. He adds that hydrogen can be obtained from sustainable sources, such as electrolysis from water, though in the short term, it will probably be extracted from natural gas.[/size]
[size=-1]He is less than enthusiastic about the current petrol-electric hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, however, pointing out that they are far heavier than their standard equivalents, and "when you drive on the highway, or out of town, the little petrol engine has to lug an inoperative electric engine and a stack of batteries. This is a waste of energy. Only in downtown driving does the hybrid make any sense. Plus the batteries are so inefficient. In all hybrid cars currently on sale, you can only use about 5 percent of the battery power available, that is all... Diesels have more potential. Diesels are fun to drive, fast, less expensive than hybrids and more efficient".[/size]
[size=-1]However, BMW is working on its own hybrid, Freymann says, which is "lighter, faster and more efficient." It works using super-capacitors instead of batteries, which are lighter and store less power, but give access to 100percent of that power at any one time, sufficient to help out the petrol engine for fast initial acceleration. "There's not much fun in driving a current hybrid", he said. "We build performance cars. BMWs must continue to offer driving enjoyment. It is absolutely possible to do that and to be eco-friendly."[/size]
