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BMW Group Australia will demonstrate its leadership of emission-free
CleanEnergy mobility with a unique week-long public expo to be held in late
January 2008.
As the world’s leading supplier of luxury vehicles, BMW is working towards
mobility solutions that do not rely on fossil fuels.
The first-of-its-kind exhibition will comprise a display of BMW
EfficientDynamics technology at Melbourne’s forward-looking Federation Square
from 21 – 29 January.
The star of the show will be a fleet of BMW Hydrogen 7 limousines which will
be used to provide real-time driving experiences for select political and
business leaders, as well as a key environment and media opinion formers.
The exhibition will be housed in a bespoke pavilion erected on site, and will
contain static and interactive displays of future BMW technology as well as
information walls detailing some of the many technological automotive
advancements BMW has developed in recent times.
The BMW Hydrogen 7 cars appear in Melbourne as part of a world tour to
demonstrate the practicality of the technology and expose it as widely as
possible.
As part of this global exposure programme, BMW has been shuttling
environmentally-minded high-profile personalities such as Cate Blanchett,
Geoffrey Rush, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Richard Gere, Jay Leno, and Placido
Domingo to public engagements in the BMW Hydrogen 7 limousines.
The BMW Hydrogen 7.
The key feature of the world’s first hydrogen-drive luxury performance sedan
is that it is designed for everyday use. The BMW hydrogen combustion engine is
the most advanced non-fossil fuel solution of its type.
Its V12 engine offers typical BMW dynamic performance with virtually no
harmful exhaust emissions or CO2 when running in hydrogen fuel mode.
The BMW Hydrogen 7 V12 engine produces 191 kW of power and 390 Nm of
torque and accelerates from 0–100 km/h in 9.5 seconds. Top speed is limited
electronically to 230 km/h. A specially designed crash-proof tank houses
the 8 kg of liquid hydrogen that powers the car.
The car is practical to drive, with a significant cruising range of 200 km on
hydrogen and 500 km on petrol. A one-touch steering-wheel mounted button allows
the driver to switch between petrol and hydrogen fuel, even when on the move.
The BMW Hydrogen 7 was engineered in exactly the same way as regular BMW
production models. Even the refuelling process was designed to be as
conventional as possible.
In Europe, plans are afoot to develop a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure
within the current petrol and diesel filling station model.
Only 100 examples of the BMW Hydrogen 7 model will be produced, many of which
have already been clocking up miles in key centres around the world.
BMW EfficientDynamics.
BMW EfficientDynamics is a company-wide strategy which has immediate, medium
and long terms goals.
The over-riding philosophy of EfficientDynamics in the
current phase is to reduce fuel consumption and emissions but without impinging
on the continued enhancement of driving performance.
Technological innovation to reduce consumption comprises engine auto
stop/start functions, brake energy regeneration, electric power steering,
aerodynamic airflap control, gear shift indicators and low rolling resistance
tyres. All this is in addition to actual engine combustion optimisation for
efficient fuel use.
As this technology is rolled out across new or updated BMW products, there is
an immediate across-the-range benefit to the environment, rather than a narrow
focus impact limited to one or two specific models. BMW believes this is the way
to deliver a meaningful environment result, and as such sets BMW apart from many
competitors.
Particular success has been achieved with diesel vehicles already available
in Australia.
In Europe, around 40 percent of BMW Group sales are equipped with
EfficientDynamics technology and register CO2 emissions below the 140 g/km
benchmark
In the medium term BMW plans to introduce BMW ActiveHybrid technology, which
boosts conventional engines using electric motors, delivering typical BMW
driving excitement, but using as much as 20 percent less fuel, and thus cutting
emissions by a similar amount.
BMW ActiveHybrid is a modular system that can be adapted to suit a variety of
BMW vehicles without diluting their different characters. The key components
are: an internal combustion engine, a transmission unit featuring one or two
electric motors, batteries, power electronics and the electronic control system.
BMW CleanEnergy is a long-term strategy designed transform current vehicle
technology to a hydrogen-fuelled emission-free future, and is a key component of
the overall programme.
The BMW CleanEnergy strategy relies on using renewable source hydrogen as the
energy of the future.
The BMW board Member for Sales and Marketing, Stefan Krause said recently:
“The BMW vision of future mobility is driving without emissions. The BMW
Hydrogen 7 already proves that this is possible.”
BMW has been working on hydrogen fuelled vehicles since 1978, or before the
birth of many of today’s young drivers.
“The launch of BMW Hydrogen 7 is a milestone en route to an era of
mobility independent of fossil fuels not only for the BMW Group but also for the
entire automotive and energy industry,” said BMW Group Australia Managing
Director, Guenther Seemann.
“The BMW Hydrogen 7 clearly proves liquid hydrogen may be used as a
source of energy for production cars.
“BMW Group Australia is delighted to be able to welcome the Hydrogen 7 sedans
to Melbourne, but more than that, to be able to demonstrate to Australians the
great strides in innovation BMW has taken and will continue to take in the
future towards emission-free mobility.
“This exhibition will clearly explain to the public as well as opinion
formers and political leaders that alternative fuel systems have arrived. If
Australia is to take advantage of these, it needs to act now to develop
refuelling infrastructure strategies and means of generating renewal hydrogen
resources.
“It is clear Australians care passionately about their beautiful environment.
I am sure many of them will be impressed and enthused by the BMW Hydrogen7
Exhibition at Federation Square,” Mr Seemann said.
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