Munich - While South Africa struggles with an infrastructure to reliably keep our lights on, other parts of the world are charging forward with new technologies set to springboard zero-emissions driving into the future.
BMW and its hydrogen fuel partner Total recently introduced a new refuelling system which will allow hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to top up tanks quicker, and drive further than previously possible. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and cars powered by it, using a fuel cell to convert hydrogen to electricity, produce no harmful tailpipe emissions.
Hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars and trucks have been rolling around Europe, emitting nothing but water vapour from tailpipes for over two years, but a small refuelling infrastructure and relatively short range have prevented wide-scale use of the alternative fuel.
MONUMENTAL TASK
It would be a monumental task to completely convert from petrol to hydrogen, even in advanced Europe, but the new development by BMW and Total is at least a baby step in the right direction.
It’s an incredibly complex system, which basically injects hydrogen into a vehicle’s tank at a much colder and higher density than normal, and now a car like BMW’s 5GT FCV can drive from Munich to Lake Garda in Italy on one fill. That particular journey is roughly 400km, but BMW says trips in excess of 500km are possible.
The new cryo-compressed hydrogen tech also shortens refuelling times by around half, and with these special pumps a full top up should take around five minutes. That’s more or less what a normal petrol or diesel fill would take.
BMW expects current initiatives in Japan, California, Germany, the UK and parts of Scandinavia to establish realistic hydrogen refuelling infrastructures by 2020. Interestingly, it didn’t mention Africa. Wonder why?
Star Motoring