 Email this article to a friend  Printable Version FREE Email Newsletter
(NaturalNews) Soaring gas prices and dwindling fossil fuel supplies have increased interest in alternatives such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and while that technology has had many hurdles, German automaker BMW is now making progress with a test fleet of hydrogen driven vehicles.
As early as next March, the a 100-vehicle fleet of the BMW Hydrogen 7 is set to be delivered to a group of elite customers including politicians, celebrities, star athletes and industry leaders, in order to test the luxury vehicles in real world conditions. Names already being thrown around include Madonna, Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. David Suzuki.
According to BMW spokespersons, hydrogen is the fuel of the future because it is the most common element in the universe, and therefore easily obtained, and is environmentally clean. Hydrogen-fueled vehicles usually emit nothing more than water vapor. The Hydrogen 7 is not fuel cell driven, but BMW's scientists project such technology could be incorporated into future generations of the vehicle, allowing it to power additional vehicle features such as air conditioning.
"We have now achieved an important milestone on our way to sustainable mobility," said Dr. Klaus Schearer of BMW's Traffic and Environment Board, at last week's launch of the vehicle in Berlin. "It is no secret in saying that the world's fossil energy supply is coming to an end.
"The future of mobility concerns us all if we are to sustain our standard of living in the future," he added.
The vehicle's six-liter, V12 hydrogen engine has a range of roughly 124 miles on its 17.6 pound tank of liquid hydrogen, but the engine will also be able to run on gasoline with the push of a button, giving it an additional range of about 310 miles. BMW admits that hydrogen is prone to "boiling off" over time, causing some loss in fuel efficiency, but notes that such a process is only likely to start 17 hours after refueling.
The safety of the hydrogen tank was also rigorously tested, as the vehicle was crash tested, hit with iron bars, set aflame and even shot at without incident.
Spokespersons at the launch would not announce the price of the Hydrogen 7, but experts estimate the vehicle has a material cost of more than $380,000 U.S. dollars but could be worth as much as $1.5 million if the cost of research is included. The spokespersons did reveal that the celebrity clean energy "pioneers" would be assigned a personal assistant for the car as well as mobile fueling stations and a team of technicians during the six-month lease.
"We have no price on the car," said BMW hydrogen technology researcher Dr. Frank Ochmann. "We regard this as an offer to society to show society where we stand on clean energy."
###
Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter
|
(FREE) Thursday evening, Dec. 3 at 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern), call in to hear the NaturalNews Talk Hour with special guests Nick Stern, Sun Warrior Protein & KC Craichy, LivingFuel - "Super Foods, Optimal Health" - Register via email to receive call-in number:
|
|
Explore NaturalPedia.com, the internet's largest natural health encyclopedia of knowledge, covering over 50,000 topics. It's free!
Visit NaturalPedia.com.
|
 FREE Report: The Five Best Anti-Viral Products to Beat Influenza, Swine Flu, Bird Flu and SARS
• Top anti-viral remedies
• Where to get them now
• Four things to avoid
• Become self-reliant
• Boost your family safety
Click here to read the FREE report now.
|
W.H.O. Declares Global Pandemic
Turn FEAR into Confidence!
Listen to the complete 3.5 hour recording on 4 audio CDs of the Health Ranger's Swine Flu Advanced Preparedness Course, covering natural anti-virals, family safety, infrastructure disruptions, quarantine, preparedness gear and much more.
Testimonials:
"Mike Adams' preparedness course turned our fears into confidence. This is POWERFUL information, coming from a trusted source. If you want to save yourself countless hours researching and getting prepared and if you want to do everything in your power to protect your family, I highly recommend the Health Ranger’s Advanced Preparedness Course."
- N. Nelson (Arizona)
"This is packed information no one should miss."
- T. Valenzuela
"Thanks Mike... during this class you covered prevention and preparedness from A to Z with integrity, brave honesty and outstanding knowledge! Thank you for your steadfast, thorough and cool-headed approach to well being. With deep gratitude for your service." - Bev
Available NOW for immediate shipping.
100% satisfaction guarantee
 NEW Product: Valley of Longevity Shampoo from the Health Ranger
• 98% Organic
• 100% Natural
• 100% Fragrance Free!
• No SLS
• No Parabens
• No synthetic chemicals
• FREE shipping in U.S. on orders over $75
Click here to read more...
|
|
|
Email this article to a friend
Share this article on: 
