Is Hydrogen The Fuel Of The Future? Leading Car Makers Take It For A Test Drive
The Age
Wednesday January 9, 2008
GERMAN car maker BMW will have some very special vehicles on display in Melbourne in a few weeks.
Although they look like normal members of BMW's 7-Series luxury saloon range, they are special because you can't refuel one, let alone buy it, in Australia.The week-long display of the BMW Hydrogen 7 fleet is one stop on a worldwide tour for the cars that can run their engines on hydrogen and emit only water from their exhaust pipes - that is, zero emissions. It has been organised to showcase the car maker's move towards cars that will use cleaner energy - even if the big V12 engine under the bonnet puts out about the same power as a V6 Commodore, and the eight kilograms of hydrogen gas in a specially designed crash-proof tank will get you only 200 kilometres between refills.The car, a concept vehicle, is not yet for sale.The Hydrogen 7's temporary refuelling station uses space shuttle technology to hold the fuel in liquid form at minus 250 degrees, while filling the tank borrows heavily from formula one technology, BMW says.The car can still run on petrol, too, adding another 500 kilometres to the Hydrogen 7's range.BMW is not alone in looking at hydrogen as a way to keep motor vehicles on roads after petrol reserves dry up.Japanese car maker Mazda already has the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, a rotary-engined vehicle that can also run on hydrogen or petrol.Despite first showing the technology to the world in 2004, Norway will soon be the first country outside Japan to take delivery of the vehicle.The Norwegian Government is actively developing a 580- kilometre corridor lined with hydrogen refuelling stations.One of the key limitations to hydrogen engine development is distance.Mazda spokesman Glenn Butler said Mazda's current crop of hydrogen-powered vehicles had a range of only about 100 kilometres, severely limiting their practicality.Hydrogen is becoming a burning issue for car makers seeking a fuel replacement.Last year Ford Australia donated two six-cylinder engines to University of Melbourne researchers interested in developing hydrogen for fuel.A lecturer at the university's department of mechanical engineering, Michael Breer, said his work on hydrogen-powered engines could one day show they were more efficient than petrol engines and cheaper to produce.However, there were more problems to overcome, he said, including the expense and weight of the thick-walled high-pressure tanks needed to extend a hydrogen car's range to a more viable 400-kilometre reach, or even moving it from the refinery to refuelling points.But the main hurdle is the fuel's source. Dr Breer said the bulk of Australia's hydrogen was a byproduct of petrol production, and it took more energy to make than it generated as a fuel.Despite this, hydrogen fuel appeals even to the car's staunchest critics.Friends of the Earth campaigns co-ordinator Cam Walker said his group was happy with a shift away from fossil fuels to hydrogen technology, but preferred an investment in public transport.The BMW Hydrogen 7 will be on display at Federation Square from January 21 to 29.
© 2008 The Age