BMW Hydrogen 7 in Depth

Press Release

Principle

• Progressive drive concept on a reliable foundation.

• 700 kilometres/435 miles cruising range with dual-mode V12 power unit.

• Excellent driving dynamics at all speeds.

Acting as a genuine pioneer, the BMW Group has chosen the combustion engine for the world’s first hydrogen powered series-production luxury saloon. This is because research and development in the area of hydrogen technology conducted by BMW over a quarter of a century clearly shows that given its dynamism, maturity and superior everyday qualities, the combustion engine combined with hydrogen offers the largest number of benefits all round.

The dual-mode combustion engine in BMW Hydrogen 7 burns both hydrogen and gasoline, that is the “classical� fuel, in the same cylinders.
So at a time prior to the introduction of hydrogen supply infrastructure on a broad scale, BMW is presenting a solution able to bridge gaps in supply in a most practical manner.

The dual-mode power unit is based on BMW’s twelve-cylinder gasoline engine displacing 6.0 litres and featuring VALVETRONIC technology in the BMW 7 Series. It is a revolutionary development of BMW’s existing combustion engines and has been fully integrated into the vehicle concept of the BMW 7 Series. In this way the BMW Group is combining know-how in automotive construction and the development of the combustion engine with all the reliability gained in the process over decades of use of hydrogen as drive energy.

Dual-mode power unit for maximum mobility.

Running on hydrogen, BMW Hydrogen 7 has a range of more than 200 kilometres or 125 miles, and is able to cover another 500 kilometres or well over 300 miles on gasoline. Benefiting from a total range of approximately 700 kilometres or 435 miles, the user therefore enjoys a standard of mobility meeting all requirements in everyday motoring and even exceeding the cruising range of a conventional saloon running on gasoline alone.

The hydrogen tank in BMW Hydrogen 7 takes up approximately 8 kilos of liquid hydrogen, the separate gasoline tank offers a capacity of 74 litres of 16.3 Imp gals. The dual-mode V12 power unit develops maximum output of 191 kW/260 hp and peak torque of 390 Newton-metres/287 lb-ft at an engine speed of 4,300 rpm.

Acceleration from 0–100 km/h in BMW’s Hydrogen Saloon comes in
9.5 seconds, and the car’s top speed is limited electronically to 230 km/h or 143 mph, meaning that the driver is not required in any way whatsoever to forego the unique driving experience so typical of BMW.

With BMW Hydrogen 7 offering exactly the same power and performance in both operating modes, the driver is able to change from one mode to the other without the slightest delay. He activates this change manually or the changeover takes place automatically as soon as the supply of hydrogen or gasoline in the respective tank starts to run low. And perhaps the best news is that the driver does not even feel the changeover from one mode to the other, since it is so smooth and subtle.

Unlike the fuel cell using hydrogen to generate electricity then driving the car via an electric motor, BMW Hydrogen 7 feeds hydrogen directly into the combustion engine. Running in the hydrogen mode, the dual-mode combustion engine operates with external mixture formation outside the engine itself, while in the gasoline mode fuel is injected directly into the combustion chambers. When starting the engine, BMW Hydrogen 7 automatically runs in the hydrogen mode in order to avoid the emissions otherwise encountered when starting the engine cold on gasoline. Since the driver is only able to switch over to the gasoline mode after the catalytic converter has warmed up, BMW Hydrogen 7 never runs under unfavourable conditions with unclean emissions.

Supreme everyday driving qualities right from the start.

In establishing a world of sustained mobility with emissions reduced to a minimum, the lack of a complete hydrogen supply infrastructure should not become an obstacle. Precisely this is why the BMW Group, introducing a series-production hydrogen car, sees itself as a pacemaker for progress. Indeed, proving that the hydrogen car offers a high standard of everyday driving qualities, BMW is motivating both the suppliers of hydrogen and operators of filling stations to broaden the range of fuel supply. This will further promote the trust and good faith of purchasers in the new drive technology, convincing an increasing number of customers to switch over to low-emission cars.

The first point, therefore, is to enhance the overall standard of acceptance for this breakthrough innovation on a broad level. With acceptance increasing exponentially to the everyday driving qualities of a car, the BMW Group, introducing the world’s first hydrogen-powered series-production luxury saloon, has opted for a dual-mode combustion engine. This means that the driver of BMW Hydrogen 7 is able to use all the benefits of this new, low-emission technology even before a complete supply infrastructure for the hydrogen car has been put into place, while at the same time enjoying all the benefits of the existing nationwide infrastructure for the supply of gasoline.

BMW’s long-term objective is to introduce and establish mono-mode power units running on hydrogen alone, with such engines being able to use the full potential of this source of energy. Because to qualify and really promote hydrogen as an alternative to conventional fuels, the technology required for the use of hydrogen must be integrated in proven development, production, and sales processes.

Moving reliably into a clean future of the automobile.

Compared with the heavy fuel cell, the dual-mode combustion engine is much lighter and less expensive in production. A further significant point helping to cut costs is that the dual-mode combustion engine is built at BMW’s existing production plants where decades of experience in the production of combustion engines guarantees maximum reliability.

Given its power potential and driving dynamics particularly at high speeds, BMW Hydrogen 7 offers all the driving and performance qualities expected of a BMW also in the hydrogen mode. A further point is that proceeding from current technology only the combustion engine is able to offer dual-mode drive ensuring a long cruising range making the driver independent of the current network of hydrogen filling stations and its density.

For all these reasons BMW has decided to use a dual-mode combustion engine in the world’s first hydrogen powered series-production luxury saloon built for everyday use. This is quite simply because the dual-mode combustion engine offers ideal conditions for making a practical, low-cost and rapid entry into a new, environmentally-friendly era of mobility in the automobile, without requiring any concessions in terms of driving pleasure and, in particular, freedom of travel and getting around.