WirtschaftsWoche reports BMW and GM to cooperate on hydrogen fuel cells
10 December 2011
WirtschaftsWoche (WiWo) reports that BMW and GM will announce a cooperation agreement on hydrogen fuel cell technology in mid-January. According to the report, BMW will receive fuel cell technology from GM in return for investment in the research. GM had no comment on the report, while BMW only confirmed there are unspecified negotiations are in process.
Earlier this month, BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning a mid-to-long-term collaboration on next-generation environment-friendly technologies. Under that MOU, the two companies will collaborate on research in the field of next-generation lithium-ion battery cell technologies. The companies also have agreed to identify and discuss other possible collaborative projects. (Earlier post.)
With the GM agreement, BMW CEO Reithofer heralds a U-turn with hydrogen drive: the Münchner had pursued technical exceptionalism for years with a hydrogen internal combustion engine, which ultimately turned out to be a dead end. Now they, like the rest of the industry, set on a fuel cell which makes electricity from hydrogen and so can drive an electric car.
—WiWo
Is this more PR? How much efforts and funds will be used?
Posted by: HarveyD | 10 December 2011 at 08:43 AM
Maybe BMW can get 30 years of never a marketed vehicle, US tax deductions, subsides, and grant give-a-ways too.
Posted by: kelly | 10 December 2011 at 09:35 AM
Harvey & kelly - these FC announcements will start coming fast and furious over the next 12-24 months as the realization that energy is becoming cheap and plentiful sinks in. But FCs stand little chance competing against BEVs with MUCH simpler and cheaper technology. Batteries have already improved toward the $300/kWh range. EERE (DOE) predicts $250/kWh in three years (2015.)
As the news of LENR spreads and industry and consumers realize they will pay far less than 10 cents/kWh, FCs will fade away. Why buy liters of H2 for $1.50+ when you can purchase or make your own electricity for 1 or 2 cents/kWh??
Liquid or gaseous fuel infrastructure is going to go away except for heavy lift vehicles and aircraft.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 10 December 2011 at 03:05 PM
Then there is obviously no need to keep the coal and natural gas industries around, is there?
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 10 December 2011 at 06:34 PM
Coal and natural gas are both a very cheap known source of automotive fuels and chemicals for many countries but mostly China uses this knowledge to avoid the unnecessary high prices of energy caused by oil speculators alone. Oil does not cost even $50 to get out of the ground and perhaps not even 50 cents.
Gasoline can always be produced from coal at less than $1 a gallon with full capital payoff, and it becomes cheaper with amortization of the costs of land and buildings and many other facilities.
North Dakota, in the US, has shown that coal can be a profitable source of CO2 to get more oil out of oil fields, and it might be even profitable to wastefully burn coal or even natural gas to get the CO2. Oil fields eventually become underground tar sand deposits and the tar can be dissolved by the injected CO2 and water. Much of the coal sulphur is also injected for improved yields.
Their are open pit mines, that are reclaimed into the same profiles later, that can produce coal energy for less than $2 a barrel equivalent at the mine. The cost of coal is not a big part of the cost of making diesel from it, but oil speculators spend much secret money to prevent this process from being implemented. The big fear that this money produces is that CO2 is produced in large quantities than it is from crude oil. There are no statistics that can accurately reveal how many green house gases are released for each gallon of gasoline produced and used. Many oil wells and pipes leak oil and gas or the gas is release or flared because it does not pay to get it to market. much or most spilled oil is changed to CO2 by organisms eventually as well.
The efficiencies of fuel cells are already similar to the most efficient engines which are far cheaper to make and buy and use, but efficient use of fuel can already be doubled in automobiles by the use of cheap hydraulic hybrids.(See Artemis in the UK)
Except that water is the most common green house gas, ammonia is a green house gas free fuel and is also made with coal in North Dakota where over half of the CO2 is now captured and used and stored away forever or reused. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 10 December 2011 at 10:59 PM
For all the wonders of highway speed fuel cell vehicles, no one is selling one under $50,000, $100,000, $?,???,???
So, even after fifty(50) years of FC perfecting in the space program, the tenth year of the Bush 'hydrogen initiative', and $billions of taxpayer dollars in thirty years of "in five years" commercial research 'grants' - where are they?
Posted by: kelly | 11 December 2011 at 06:55 AM
LENRs and automotive FCs are both very rare. Will they ever be mass produced at an affordable price?
Posted by: HarveyD | 11 December 2011 at 07:11 AM
@ EP, Henry argues reasonably for some coal to continue. The equestrian economy did not disappear overnight.
@kelly, right. The oilcos and technocrats held this back far too long squeezing profit from petrol. They have now been bit by their greed.
@Harvey, the CANR, LENR is being revealed to be remarkably simple, reliant on nanostructure as opposed to exotic materials or processes. This will make its implementation even faster as thousands of inventors and energy startups, enter the rush.
End result is sustainable, pollution free energy for all. BTW, predictions of world pop going to 14B are exaggerated. Europe, Japan, and USA have decreasing birthrates. Experts predict China will have 400M LESS by century end.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 11 December 2011 at 12:09 PM
HG, if CTL gasoline can be made for less than $1/gallon, why has even Sasol given up on CTL? You'll notice that Rentech hasn't gone on a building spree either.
Reel, I'd love to see you put something more than empty talk on the notion that Rossi isn't just another Steorn.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 12 December 2011 at 03:54 PM