BMW---
BMW was a participant in the Clean Energy World Tour 2001. The focus of the Clean Energy World Tour 2001 was the lasting character of the "production, distribution and utilization of hydrogen in automobiles" process. The Tour visited cities around the world; Dubai, Brussels, Milan, Tokyo and Los Angeles.
A hydrogen-powered MINI concept was unveiled at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show. It runs solely on hydrogen and shows the potential for a virtually zero emissions vehicle which still offers outstanding performance in an affordable package. MINI Home Page...
The 745h is the latest BMW hydrogen powered vehicle. The 745h is powered by a 4.4-liter V8, featuring bi-VANOS variable valve timing, Valvetronic variable intake runners, and a fully variable intake manifold. The 745h can use either hydrogen or premium unleaded gasoline.
Running on hydrogen, the 745h produces 184 horsepower and can achieve a top speed of 133 mph. The cruising range is 190 miles. Added to the 400-mile range of the normal fuel tank, the 745h can go 600 miles between fill-ups.
An Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) runs the 745h's power-consuming features. The APU operates on a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell that is independent of the engine, thanks to a direct hydrogen feed from the trunk-mounted tank. This means power accessories like air conditioning can be operated when the engine is shut off, saving a gallon of gas for every 235 miles of city driving.
Problems---
The serious problems that are affecting the development of hydrogen cars are; hydrogen storage, the high reactivity of hydrogen, the cost and methods of hydrogen fuel production, consumer demand and the cost of changing the infrastructure to accommodate hydrogen vehicles.
The concerns surrounding the storage of hydrogen are a major issue. Hydrogen must be stored at extremely low temperatures and high pressure. A container capable of withstanding these specifications is larger than a standard gas tank. Hydrogen storage could be viewed as a problem by consumers.
Hydrogen is extremely reactive. Hydrogen is combustible and flammable. The Hindenburg disaster, where a hydrogen filled blimp exploded and many people died, has caused a fear of hydrogen (See Fig. 14).
Current production of hydrogen takes a lot of energy. If we have to burn fossil fuels to make hydrogen, what have we really gained? New cleaner energy technology or hydrogen production methods will need to be developed for hydrogen vehicles to make sense.
Another problem for hydrogen fuel is consumer demand and the cost to change all gasoline filling stations and vehicle production lines into hydrogen (See Fig. 15). The problem is like "the chicken or the egg?". The major car companies will not start to produce hydrogen cars until there is consumer demand. Why would a person pay for an expensive car that doesn't have fuel when gas is so cheap? Oil companies will not build filling stations until the hydrogen cars are on the market. There has been a reluctance on the part of the oil companies to develop a technology where fossil fuels are not needed. Currently the companies control all of the transportation fuel distribution. There is no incentive to develop an expensive technology that would compete against the fossil fuel technology that oil companies control.
Yet as is stated above BMW has been producing hydrogen powered vehicles for years now... they are safe, environmentally friendly, and fairly inexpensive.....
Fuel Cells are NOT a new idea----
""History of fuel cells
The theory of fuel cells has been around for over 150 years. In 1839, English inventor Sir William Grove reasoned from his experiments splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electric current, that it should be possible to react hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity and water. The term fuel cell was first coined in 1859, when Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer attempted to construct a fuel cell using air and industrial coal gas as the fuel. In 1959, Engineer Francis Bacon demonstrated the first fuel cell device, a five-kilowatt fuel cell system, enough to power two homes. In the 1960’s, NASA began pursuing practical applications for fuel cells. NASA selected fuel cells as the power generator of choice for its first manned space mission. The fuel cell was selected over batteries, nuclear reactors, and solar power for several reasons: compact size, lightweight, high efficiency, ability to operate in zero gravity, emission of only drinkable water, and ability to operate for the lifetime of the mission (usually seven to fourteen days). ""
Concerning safety and the "blimp" theory---- speaking of conspiracy theories
""Is it safe?
One hurdle that must be overcome before we can begin using hydrogen for transportation on a large scale is the public perception that hydrogen is dangerous. ‘Remember the Hindenburg’—that is a phrase often heard when discussing hydrogen. This German passenger airship kept aloft by hydrogen, crashed into flames as it came in to land at Lakehurst, New Jersey in May of 1937. Thirty-seven people died. It actually caught fire because, when it lowered ropes in order to land, it was grounded, and the charge that had built up on the airship’s surface leapt to the ground. This caused a spark igniting the airship’s paint, which was made of aluminum powder and a substance similar to rocket fuel. The hydrogen inside did ignite but the hydrogen’s fire was short, while the aircraft’s diesel burned much longer. Thirty-five of the thirty-seven people, who died, actually died from jumping out. Most of the people who stayed on the airship until it reached the ground, survived. There is no reason to think hydrogen is any more dangerous as a fuel than petrol, the explosive liquid now carried safely in the tanks of untold millions of motor vehicles.""
Just a few facts
Hydrogen so far is the best bet to replace fossil fuels and prevent our atmosphere from getting any worse than it already is...