BMW's Energy Strategy - Promoting the Technical and Political Implementation

BMW can look back on 20 years of research activities on hydrogen propulsion systems. Hydrogen fuel is the only means of offering pure driving pleasure on the basis of a sustainable energy loop. As the hydrogen era is still quite a while away the BMW Energy Strategy „Via Natural Gas to Hydrogen” has been developed. The first step was to build series-production compressed natural gas (CNG) cars back in 1995. By switching to liquefied natural gas (LNG) not only is the cruising range tripled but technologically the final stepping-stone is reached in preparing the way for liquefied hydrogen.

BMW's automotive and drive technology for hydrogen is now available and ready to move out of the laboratory on to the road. At Munich Airport a BMW „Clean Energy” car is already providing shuttle services. Its fuel is supplied by the world's first public filling station for liquefied hydrogen. BMW is also demonstrating the technical maturity of hydrogen cars by producing a small series for the EXPO 2000.

But the vehicles are only one part of the hydrogen world. The complete hydrogen process chain has to go into series production and the corresponding infrastructure must be built up. For this purpose it is necessary to combine the strengths of different partners and to form an alliance. BMW is supporting the international Hydrogen Energy Forum, HYFORUM 2000, scheduled for Sept. 11-15, 2000. This conference will provide partners from industry, finance and insurance, politics and other international organizations with a chance to exchange news and views.