Independent tests validate BMW Hydrogen 7 emissions well-below SULEV
Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 @ 20:20:50 UTC by vlad
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 The BMW Hydrogen 7 Mono-Fuel demonstration vehicle, a near-zero emissions car, undergoes testing at Argonne's Advanced Powertrain Research Facility (APRF), the principal U.S. Department of Energy facility for assessing advanced hybrid electric vehicle technologies. APRF is a unique facility in North America because it is the able to detect trace levels of emissions.
Independent tests conducted by engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory on a BMW Hydrogen 7 Mono-Fuel demonstration vehicle have found that the car's hydrogen-powered engine surpasses the super-ultra low-emission vehicle (SULEV) level, the most stringent emissions performance standard to date.
"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."
It was not an easy task to
measure the Hydrogen 7's emissions. "A gross polluter is easy to
measure, but the cleaner the car the harder it is to test," said Don
Hillebrand, director of Argonne's Center for Transportation Research.
"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."
After an extensive evaluation by BMW, "Argonne’s Advanced
Powertrain Research Facility was found to be the only public test
facility in North America capable of testing hydrogen vehicles at these
low emissions levels," said BMW's Wolfgang Thiel, manager, operating
support emissions analysis. "Zero is a very small precise number – we
are pushing the boundaries of emissions testing."
Technical and program information about the Hydrogen 7 tests will
be presented by Wallner and BMW North America's Jason P. Perron
Wednesday, April 2 during the National Hydrogen Association Annual
Hydrogen Conference, March 30-April 3, in Sacramento, Calif. Argonne
will join BMW's Christoph Huss, senior vice president, science, traffic
and vehicles regulations, in a press conference to present the test
results during the Society of Automotive Engineers 2008 World Congress,
April 14-17, in Detroit.
BMW has put the hydrogen model into limited series production.
Although the vehicle is not yet available for sale to the general
public, it is being made available to "influential public figures,"
whose use demonstrate a new era in clean energy, BMW has said. In the
meantime, the greatest challenge to widespread use of hydrogen cars is
the limited number of hydrogen refueling stations.
Argonne has conducted cutting-edge transportation research for more
than 30 years and employs a multidisciplinary staff of engineers and
scientists involved in engine, battery, fuel cell, vehicle systems and
applied materials research.
Argonne's transportation research program and facilities are
primarily funded by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy, which supports the development of vehicle technologies and
alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on
foreign oil, and enables the U.S. transportation industry to sustain a
strong, competitive position in domestic and world markets.
Source: Argonne National Laboratory
Via: http://www.physorg.com/news125901805.html
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