BMW Supports Launch of Newest Hydrogen Fuelling Station in United States

[Doondoo]

With BMW as a project collaborator, the country’s newest hydrogen filling station officially opened today at the University of California, Irvine. Launched by Air Products, the station marks the latest milestone in establishing a solid hydrogen infrastructure in the United States—a core goal of BMW’s CleanEnergy strategy.

“BMW is proud to be a member of this project team, which is another milestone on the way to sustainable mobility and wide acceptance of alternative fuels”, said Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO of BMW of North America and Chairman of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “We at BMW believe that hydrogen will replace petroleum in the long-term. To accomplish this we must begin to take steps now, in order to ensure a smooth transition to a hydrogen-based economy in the future. The technology at Air Products’ newest fueling station is proof that this shift has begun, and BMW will continue to develop and support initaitives that help foster our CleanEnergy goals.”

Last year, BMW underscored its commitment to hydrogen-drive technologies with the debut of the BMW Hydrogen 7—the world’s first hydrogen-drive luxury performance automobile—to help stimulate demand for a viable hydrogen infrastructure in the long term. The car comes equipped with an internal combustion engine capable of running on either liquid hydrogen or gasoline. Since the start of research and development in alternative fuel sources, BMW has focused on liquid hydrogen as the appropriate source of energy for the automobile.

The new station is the first hydrogen fueling station in California and the United States with the ability to dispense hydrogen at varied and advanced pressures, and the first hydrogen fueling station to be sited at a location with wider accessibility for vehicle fueling demonstrations. The new fueling station will offer hydrogen in gas form from the onset and planning is underway for the addition of liquid hydrogen dispensing in late 2007 —the form of hydrogen used to power the BMW Hydrogen 7.



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