Nobody knows exactly when, how many will be available, their price, charge time, range, or pretty much anything about the electric vehicles BMW is planning on selling. But we do know that they plan on selling them, probably in about a year. Not really big news unless you were one of those people planning on investing in an electric car sometime in the middle of 2009. Oh wait, that’s me! Let’s hope (for my sake) that they’re affordable. They might beat the rest of the auto makers, who are by and large planning to make their big electric push in 2010. [via Gas 2.0] → Read More
Testing on BMW’s Hydrogen 7 Mono-Fuel prototype by the U.S. DOE has concluded that the hydrogen-powered engine surpasses the most rigorous of emissions performance standards. The BMW finds itself beyond the super-ultra low-emission vehicle (SULEV) level. “The BMW Hydrogen 7′s emissions were only a fraction of SULEV level, making it one of the lowest emitting combustion engine vehicles that have been manufactured,” said Thomas Wallner, a mechanical engineer who leads Argonne’s hydrogen vehicle testing activities. “Moreover, the car’s engine actively cleans the air. Argonne’s testing shows that the Hydrogen 7′s 12-cylinder engine actually shows emissions levels that, for certain components, are cleaner than the ambient air that comes into the car’s engine.” → Read More
AutoSpies has learned, by way of “reliable sources,” that the next BMW 7-Series will feature in-dash iPhone integration. As you can see in this supposed shot, the iPhone will cradle in the dash and presumably be controlled by buttons on the steering wheel and/or voice. While this rumor doesn’t seem too far-fetched, I’d suggest proceeding on the side of caution with it until we get further confirmation. Who will be the first auto manufacturer to integrate the Apple iPhone? Exclusive info. [AutoSpies via Gizmodo] → Read More
Oh this is cool and I’m not just referring to the temperature of the hydrogen. This prototype BMW 7-series sedan was featured at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It can run on both gas and hydrogen and can switch between the two fuel sources in case you can’t find a hydrogen fueling station. It currently uses BMW’s 6-liter V-12, but BMW engineers say that with further development, a 2-liter four cylinder hydrogen engine could crank 300 horses. Even more interesting is that rather than running on silly hydrogen fuel cells, it utilizes liquid hydrogen, which in addition to being more compact that the gas, has to be kept insanely cold. To remedy this setback, engineers designed the hydrogen tank with insulation, so that it requires to additional energy expenditure to keep it at the proper temp. BMW 7-series runs on cold, cold hydrogen [CNET Crave] → Read More
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