The hydrogen-powered BMW on display today at the new Schomp BMW dealership in Highlands Ranch has a lot going for it.
Sleek good looks. Precision engineering. Power to spare. Nothing more than water vapor coming from the exhaust pipe. And then there are the cold, cruel realities.
You can’t get one, unless you’re a Hollywood star or pro athlete of the highest tier.
You can’t fill up at the neighborhood gas station. In fact, with only 51 hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S., you would be hard-pressed to find one. And at current prices, it would take $100 to fill an 18-pound tank.
And then there’s the small matter of price: $145,000, give or take a few thousand, if they actually were available for sale.
Yet BMW is high on hydrogen. The automaker likes to show off its 100 demonstration vehicles to build support for what it sees as the green automotive technology of the future.
Hydrogen power “would be viable if we as a culture say that we really need to make this happen,” said Lisa Schomp, owner of the dealership. “We (complain) and moan about (fossil fuels), but we really need to jump over the hurdle and get it done.”
Almost every major auto manufacturer is experimenting with hydrogen power, although BMW is taking a different approach than most.
Its “Hydrogen 7” prototype has an internal-combustion engine that can be driven by either hydrogen or gasoline — a departure from the fuel-cell motors in compact cars with which most manufacturers are experimenting.
Given the 7’s 125-mile range on a full tank of hydrogen — and the dearth of hydrogen fueling stations — the gasoline backup is necessary to ensure that the 5,000-pound luxury sedan keeps rolling.
“Our purpose is to show that it’s possible today to have a big car powered by hydrogen,” said Jim Ryan, clean- energy program director for BMW.
Of the 100 Hydrogen 7s produced by BMW, 20 have been loaned to movie and TV stars such as Jay Leno, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in an effort to generate high-profile buzz.
Another 80 are fulfilling similar roles with overseas opinion makers.
Most hydrogen fuel manufactured today is made by extracting hydrogen from natural gas.
But the key to making hydrogen an effective, clean fuel, Ryan said, is to use renewable energy such as wind and solar power to create hydrogen by sending an electric current through water.
Hydrogen-powered cars in the next decade may become major players in the alternative-fuel and electric sector, said Keith Wipke, a hydrogen-vehicle researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.
“Hydrogen could be even bigger than plug-in electric vehicles,” he said. “It’s a big thing that’s coming.”
Steve Raabe: 303-954-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com
