Hydrogen means top performance not only in rockets travelling to outer space
BMW has proven what the hydrogen car is able to offer, setting up 9 records for hydrogen-drive cars with combustion engine. "Nine records marking the start into the hydrogen age. BMW technology has already come a long way. Now, together with politicians and the energy industry, we must turn our vision of sustained mobility into reality", stated Professor Burkhard Göschel, Board Member of the BMW Group, during the speed record trials in Miramas. Achieving this amazing success at the high-speed Miramas Proving Grounds in France, the BMW Group has clearly proven its conviction that hydrogen is able to replace conventional fuel without requiring the driver to make the slightest compromise in terms of dynamic, up-to-date performance.
Indeed, the specifications of the H2R Record Car clearly confirm this superiority, the six-litre 12 cylinder power unit developing an output of more than 210 kW or 285 bhp. This accelerates the BMW prototype to 100 km/h in approximately 6 seconds and gives it a top speed of 302,4 km/h (185,52 mph). Based on the gasoline power unit featured in the BMW 760i, BMW's hydrogen combustion engine boasts the most advanced technologies such as BMW's fully variable VALVETRONIC valve drive.
The main modifications to the engine involve the fuel injection system adapted by BMW to the special features and requirements of hydrogen, the H2R Record Car benefiting from the results gained in series development of BMW's future hydrogen engine for the world's first premium saloon built for dual-mode operation: BMW will be launching a dual-mode version of the current 7 Series during the production cycle of the present model, thus introducing the first car of its kind able to run on both hydrogen and gasoline.
The H2R prototype set up the following records shown here in terms of times measured and speed achieved: time in sec - speed in km/h
- Flying-start kilometre: 11,993 - 300,190
- Flying-start mile: 19,912 - 290,962
- Standing-start 1/8 mile: 9,921 - 72,997
- Standing-start ¼ mile: 14,933 - 96,994
- Standing-start ½ kilometre: 17,269 - 104,233
- Standing-start mile: 36,725 - 157,757
- Standing-start 10 miles: 221,052 - 262,094
- Standing-start kilometre: 26,557 - 135,557
- Standing-start 10 kilometres: 146,406 - 245,892
BMW works drivers Alfred Hilger, Jörg Weidinger and Günther Weber took turns at the wheel of the Record Car in their record-breaking session.
BMW's motive in setting up these records was not only to prove the power and performance the hydrogen engine is able to offer. Rather, the reliability and durability of the technology used clearly demonstrates the supremacy of BMW in developing the hydrogen engine to production standard. In this process BMW is concentrating on the combustion engine, simply because the combustion power unit, given the sum total of all its features and characteristics, still offers the largest number of advantages and benefits all in one.Published 20 September 2004