LAX Airport is Home to First Public Hydrogen Station

The USA's first compressed-hydrogen fueling station for public use will be built at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), reports Sustainable Business News.

Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners approved a lease to Praxair, Inc. of Danbury, Conn., which design, engineer, equip, construct, and operate a 600-square-foot prototype facility. The $1.58 million state-of-the-art fueling station will be the first facility in the United States to showcase the generation, compression, storage, and dispensing of compressed-hydrogen fuel in a limited-production capacity, retail-friendly environment.

Praxair is funding construction with $550,000 of its own funds and will receive grants of $351,000 from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, $499,048 from the U.S. Department of Energy, and $180,000 from British Petroleum. The new fueling station will support the recent introduction of hydrogen fuel-cell demonstration vehicles by major automotive manufacturers, as well as Los Angeles World Airports’ integration of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles into its own fleet. The new fueling station will be built on a portion of an on-airport, alternative-fuel vehicles site on World Way West, where facilities for dispensing liquefied and compressed natural gas (LNG/CNG) already exist.

Cleaner, Cooler, Brighter, Louder

A concept MINI Cooper, to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 11 September, will give a glimpse into the future of fuel technology for smaller vehicles.

A hydrogen powered MINI concept will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week. It runs solely on hydrogen and shows the potential for a virtually zero emissions vehicle which still offers outstanding performance in an affordable package.

MINI Cooper Hydrogen's engine uses internal combustion technology - like the BMW Clean Energy cars - and is based on the current 1.6 litre, four cylinder petrol unit. However, the MINI features a possible new injection process in which super-cooled liquid hydrogen is injected into the intake ducts where it mixes with air before entering the cylinders for ignition. Previously, the liquid hydrogen was heated to ambient temperature before combustion. This super-cooled mixture increases the cylinder charge, boosting both engine output and efficiency and offers a hydrogen engine that has the potential to match the standards of a modern petrol engine in every respect.

The car also features a breakthrough in alternative fuel packaging with a fuel tank that takes up the same space as a conventional fuel tank. To date, cylindrical tanks had to be used which take up passenger or luggage space.

MINI Cooper Hydrogen is the next chapter in BMW Group's search for alternatives to conventional fuels. The BMW Group unveiled the first of its production hydrogen powered 7 Series models in 2000 and announced that it would be the world's first manufacturer to offer series production hydrogen cars to customers.

Trevor Houghton-Berry, General Manager for MINI in the UK said: "It's great to see the BMW Group basing some of its clean energy technology on MINI. The car remains classless and hugely popular and displaying hydrogen technology in the MINI points to an exciting and environmentally friendly future."

Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter

Oil-producing Dubai, a key commercial and technological crossroad in the Persian Gulf region, is taking its first cautious steps towards the eventual production of renewable hydrogen in close cooperation with car maker BMW. If the strategy takes hold and succeeds, it could mark a revolutionary shift in the world's system of energy distribution. It could signal the beginning of a shift away from carbon-based fuels to solar-derived renewable energy among the world's principal producers of petroleum. The emirate, part of the United Arab Emirates, was the departure point in early February for a six-month tour of a fleet of ten BMW 750hL liquid hydrogen powered sedans halfway around the globe designed to stir interest and drum up support for this zero-emission transportation technology. Subsequent stops of BMW's hydrogen caravan will be in Brussels, Milan, Tokyo and Los Angeles where the tour is expected to arrive in mid-July.

Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's defense minister, drove one of the top-of-the-line, fifth-generation liquid hydrogen BMWs after an evening seaside reception at the super-opulent Burj Al Arab hotel. He was the first ever person not on BMW's staff to be permitted to do so. Middle East journalists said the fact that the sheikh came to the reception at all and drove the car was a pretty clear, positive indication of his and his government's interest and support of the technology.

Dubai has been cooperating with BMW during the last year in a feasibility study on hydrogen production here, one of several that the Institute for Energy Technology at Munich's Technical University, chaired by Prof. Ulrich Wagner, has been working on for a number of years. "Our goal is to determine the potentials for solar energy in several studies, including studies for the BMW Group," Wagner told H&FCL by e-mail. "One of the geographical focal points is Dubai, but other localities in the world's sun belt are of interest as well." Dubai is of special interest because "Dubai will be one of the first nations in the Gulf where oil reserves will be declining," according to Wagner. "This, plus the large financial strength of the country are certainly important motives for the special interest in that location." A Dubai source has told H&FCL that the prevailing expert and media opinion in the country is that oil will last another 10 to 13 years "at a maximum, that's why all of Dubai's master plans are targeted for completion towards 2011 or 2013 so that they don't have to rely on oil." However, crude oil reserves in the other parts of the 7-member United Arab Emirates are expected to last much longer than that.

The Dubai study is expected to be completed by the end of this month, after which it will be discussed and analyzed by both Dubai's and BMW's experts. The early indications are that the study will recommend further action along the path to producing hydrogen from solar energy and water. "We know that the study is giving a positive sign," Dr. Mohamed A. Bin Fahad, chairman of the country's recently established Zayed International Prize for the Environment and a spokesman for Dubai on the project, told H&FCL. He added he expected production plans to get underway in 2 or 3 years. (See separate Q&A interview p. 3). "It may seem paradoxical that it is here, of all places, that we choose to promote our BMW hydrogen-powered vehicles" BMW's director of development and purchasing Burkhard Goeschel told a press conference with some 40 journalists mostly from Europe and the Middle East. After all, he quipped, one would assume "that our hydrogen cars would be difficult to sell here at the world's sources of mineral oil. "But what we are doing here is anything but paradoxical. In the new century, the cry for sustainability is becoming increasingly urgent," he added. "The central concern here is the reduction of CO2, carbon dioxide, which is regarded as being responsible for the detrimental changes in the global climate - the 'greenhouse effect.'"

Dr. Bin Fahad added, "we are now becoming more and more aware of the climatic change and its consequent droughts, floods, temperature fluctuations and general instability. Millions of people in rural areas of the world are suffering starvation and mass migration due to crop failure or direct destruction of their basic life support system. Other millions in the urban areas are suffering the serious health consequences of air pollution which are mainly due to exhaust emissions of motor vehicles. "The key to getting out of all these serious troubles is 'no poisonous emissions', i.e., the use of clean energy sources." Said Bin Fahad, "Our country is one of the best places worldwide for the production of such clean energy. . .There is plenty of sunshine and plenty of seawater here all year round to produce hydrogen fuel. Moreover, Dubai has proved to be one of the best places in the world for investment and free trade. We hope that the BMW Group will work hard and invest more to render this technology cheaper, safer and plentiful for a better environment in the near future." Underscoring BMW's efforts to find allies in its liquid hydrogen strategy, executives from German industrial gas producer Linde and from BP participated in the Dubai event. Linde regional manager Uwe Rathmann said his company was providing the fuel for the world tour vehicles and had designed the LH2 tankage system. "We are convinced that when fossil fuels will be running out, they can be replaced only by ecologically friendly hydrogen," Rathmann said. "Most probably, both energy carriers will run parallel for years or decades."

BP hydrogen technology manager Michael Jones said hydrogen is the "logical conclusion" of moves towards environmentally friendlier and sustainable road transport and a sustainable energy future: "We at BP are working with BMW and others to learn how to make this fuel both available and affordable," he said. Dubai's foray into hydrogen energy technology is not the first time that an Arab country has taken an interest in this technology. Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabia's oil minister from 1962 to 1986 and one of the key players in the events that led up to the oil shocks of 30 years ago, told this writer in 1975 in an interview for the French magazine "L'Expansion" that his country was interested in hydrogen and other alternative energy technology. At the time Yamani was supporting, in a modest way, the work of an American company working in the field, KMS Fusion, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI. Also, Saudi Arabia entered a decade-long hydrogen research and cooperation agreement with Germany in the late 1980s -- HYSOLAR, which included the construction of experimental solar hydrogen production facilities both in Germany and in Saudi Arabia near Riyadh.

First Development Vehicle Equipped With a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

The first development vehicle to be equipped with a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) was unveiled in Munich today by BMW and Delphi Automotive Systems. After nearly two years of  the companies working closely together on the groundbreaking program, the vehicle has operated and shown encouraging results.

"Both BMW and Delphi have considerable expertise in providing high-technology solutions to meet environmental issues," said Jose Maria Alapont, president of Delphi Europe-Africa-Middle East and a vice president of Delphi Automotive Systems Corporation. "There are many synergies between our companies that allow us to efficiently work together to develop outstanding new technologies."

The development vehicle uses the SOFC as the key component in an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), which could generate electrical energy for a wide range of potential vehicle systems and allows for the addition of further electrical features. The SOFC / APU provides sufficient energy for existing mechanically-driven sub-systems, such as the airconditioning and water pumps, to be driven electrically. This allows for more efficient operation and provides a much higher level of control.

Explaining his company's strategy, Dr. Burkhard Goeschel, BMW board member responsible for development, said: "Generator outputs have had to go up by about 30 percent and battery capacities by about 200 percent in the last 30 years. If we reflect that before long our cars will have electric water pumps, electric power steering and electrically actuated brakes as well as the whole range of modern communication equipment, then we must expect current consumption at least to double again in coming years."

Using a conventional, mechanically driven generator, supplying 1kW of electricity requires around 1.5 litres of fuel per hundred kilometres. Using the first production SOFC / APU will cause a reduction of 46 percent, leading to substantial fuel economy and environmental benefits. Delphi is working with BMW to bring the system to market in a passenger car.

Another important use of the APU will be to provide more power than can be reasonably supplied by a battery when the vehicle's engine is switched off. This may be to heat or cool the cabin while the driver is still eating breakfast when stuck in traffic. In commercial vehicles, an APU could be used to run refrigeration units or airconditioning while the vehicle is parked overnight or stopped for deliveries. Delphi is developing reformers that can convert either diesel or gasoline into hydrogen to fuel the APU.

"This is a major breakthrough technology to help protect our environment," concludes Jose Maria Alapont. "Delphi has a complete portfolio of environmentally-friendly vehicle systems including both gasoline and diesel Engine Management Systems, 42-Volt system architectures, fluid-free electric steering, electric braking systems and recyclable interior products."

Hydrogen Powered 7 Series Cars Comes to America

The BMW Group announced today that its fleet of hydrogen powered BMW 750hL sedans will be coming to the United States on July 12th of this year providing members of the media and public alike the opportunity to experience the world's first fleet of production-based, hydrogen powered cars. As a reflection of BMW's commitment to making hydrogen power a reality, the first-hand experience of these cars will be accompanied by a panel discussion, when the fleet arrives in Los Angeles, California.

The Los Angeles event is part of the BMW CleanEnergy World Tour. The first stop on the tour will take place in Dubai on January 31, 2001. Countries like Dubai in the sunbelt of the earth may produce hydrogen fuel using sea water and solar energy in the nearby future. From there it will make stops in Milan, Tokyo and Brussels before arriving in Los Angeles, California on July 12, 2001.

The BMW Group unveiled its fleet of 15 hydrogen-powered 750hLs in Berlin in May, 2000. The world was given the opportunity to see and experience these vehicles during EXPO2000, the world's fair in Hanover, Germany, throughout this past summer. The production-based BMW 750hL represents the culmination of 30 years of research and development of hydrogen-powered automobiles. It offers a practical solution to the desire to make emission-free vehicles available to the public. The BMW Group, as a company, has been recognized for its forward thinking approach to environmental issues. It also remains enthusiastically committed to providing an exhilarating driving experience.

That is why the BMW 750hL is powered not by a fuel cell, but by a production-based, liquid hydrogen-powered V12 internal combustion engine. There are many advantages to the internal combustion engine. The weight of the vehicle would be increased significantly by the combination of the fuel cell and an electric motor. Fuel cells take up a significant amount of space making a conventional design all but impossible. There are also sizable cost disadvantages associated with the fuel cells.

On the other hand, the internal combustion, liquid hydrogen V12 in the BMW 750hL provides a driving experience that would make even the most ardent BMW enthusiast feel very much at home. The desire to drive an environmentally-friendly vehicle should not come at the expense of practicality. In addition to the familiarity offered by an internal combustion engine, the use of liquid hydrogen provides another major advantage. With 37 gallons of liquid hydrogen onboard, the 750hL has a range of 250 miles. Achieving the same range from a tank a gaseous hydrogen would require far more space. There is currently only one public liquid hydrogen refueling station, which is located at the Munich airport. Therefore, out of practical necessity, the 750hL is designed to also run on gasoline, in case the supply of hydrogen runs out before a refueling station can be reached. This dual fuel capability would not be possible using gaseous hydrogen.

Hydrogen has yet another advantage. Using solar power, it will be possible to produce hydrogen fuel without emissions. This represents the ultimate goal of the completely clean vehicle.

The BMW CleanEnergy WorldTour event in Los Angeles will provide government officials, the media and members of academia the opportunity to not only experience the real world capabilities of the 750hL, but also to engage in a dialogue that will advance the cause of hydrogen power. The BMW Group will present the case for the liquid hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine.

Los Angeles was chosen as the site for the US BMW CleanEnergy WorldTour because California's long-standing commitment to reducing vehicle tailpipe emissions has lead to a great deal of research being carried out with hydrogen power in that state. At the event's conclusion, part of the BMW 750hL fleet will remain behind at BMW's Research and Engineering Center in Oxnard, California for extended evaluation and research.