14 DAY TRIAL // It's official, BMW's Hydrogen 7 prototype is world's cleanest vehicle! Tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory reveal that the hydrogen-powered engine of the BMW Hydrogen 7 surpasses that of the super-ultra low-emission vehicles, a standard for low emission vehicles today.
According to mechanical engineer at Argonne's hydrogen vehicles testing facility Thomas Wallner, the emissions of the BMW Hydrogen 7 are in fact only a fraction of SULEV level, meaning it is the lowest emitting combustion engine vehicle ever made. Not only that, but also the air it releases back into the atmosphere is actually clearer than that used for combustion, thus cleaning the air in the process.
"A gross polluter is easy to measure, but the cleaner the car the harder it is to test. Most labs test at the SULEV level. Argonne's vehicle testing facilities are unique in that they are able to detect even trace levels of emissions. In this case, it was near-zero emissions," says Argonne's Center for Transportation Research director, Don Hillebrand, while pointing the difficulties experienced during the tests.
BMW manager, Wolfgang Thiel adds that the Argonne Advanced Powertrain Research Facility is the only facility in North America capable of testing for such low emissions. "Zero is a very small precise number - we are pushing the boundaries of emissions testing." The technical and program information related to Hydrogen 7's tests are expected to be released on 2 April at the National Hydrogen Association Annual Hydrogen Conference, taking place in Sacramento from 30 March to 3 April.
Although the vehicle is still in the prototype stage, the Hydrogen 7 model will be produced in a limited series and will be made available only for 'influential figures' demonstrating for a new clean energy era. The biggest problem with introducing Hydrogen cars into mass production at this time is that the number of hydrogen refueling stations is limited.