About the BMW Hydrogen Car: Pros & Cons
BMW is leading the way in using hydrogen to power cars. It plans to loan 100 of the BMW Hydrogen 7 to politicians, celebrities, business leaders and media personalities for pilot-testing and promotion. However, like any innovation that is hitting the market, some pros and cons go with its release. Speculations of risk of explosion as well as less power to handle are widely spreading in the rumor mill.
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Function
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BMW is set to produce in massive quantities the world's first production-ready hydrogen powered car, the BMW Hydrogen 7. It combines comfort, dynamics and safety which BMW is known for. Generating the hydrogen from water that will produce the electricity will be coming from solar power and other carbon free renewable energy sources.
Types
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The BMW Hydrogen 7 is currently available on 4-door 7 series sedans. It emits lesser amount of carbon monoxide into the air. The six-liter hydrogen combustion engine breaks down the carbon monoxide converting it to cleaner air. Upon testing of emissions coming from the car, it was hardly detectable by standard emissions test.
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Theories/Speculation
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There is speculation that carrying large amounts of hydrogen in a tank of a car could pose danger, which, may explode given certain conditions. BMW is quick to dispel such theory stating that since Hydrogen is lighter by 18 times compared to air should there be a leak in the tank, it will just rise up and evaporate. Therefore, the danger in using hydrogen should not be higher than using gas, which is highly flammable.
Another concern for consumers is the price. Since, BMW is a luxury car on its own; the hydrogen-powered car may be more expensive compared to other hybrid cars available in the market. Furthermore, people also wonder about how BMW's speed will change when powered by hydrogen. Since the 12-cylinder 7 series, BMW will run on both premium gasoline and hydrogen, one maybe able to switch gears to gain more momentum.
Considerations
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To ensure that the danger of hydrogen exploding, the storage system must be maintained at a very low temperature. The tanks available currently in the market that would fulfill this need is very expensive, therefore, consideration to lower the cost of the tanks is in the works. Further consideration to develop automated refueling stations, something where the consumer should not have to perform on their own, due to the risk of burning associated during handling. Distribution of hydrogen is another item that merits consideration, whether using pipelines and truck bearing hydrogen to transport from one location to the other.
Benefits
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The BMW Hydrogen 7 will provide enormous benefits to the environment and our dependencies on oil to power cars. There will be no exhaust fumes and no greenhouse gases coming from car exhausts, which can help the fight against global warming. In addition, there will be less need to depend on foreign oils to power our cars. Hydrogen power from renewable resources is something that will stay with us for a very long time.
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