I started conducting my research on Auxiliary Power Units (APU's), and have found some other interesting links which I will review a bit further before posting them here.
Hmmm, it seems BMW was investigating the technology of using fuel cells as APU's before GLE's announcement of their fuel cell breakthrough. Look at the facts, GLE's SOFC has an internal reformer and is likely able to run on say, pump gasoline. Which is a much simpler implementation than going the Hydrogen route (for which would still require separate tanks and reformer, not to mention a hydrogen supply infrastructure which is non-existent for at least the forseeable future).
waynesgarage.com
Fuel Cell and Hydrogen-powered BMWs
March 15, 1999
BMW will be the first car manufacturer to put a small series of cars on the road using a fuel cell battery to generate electricity in the vehicle. A number of hydrogen-driven 7 Series sedans are being readied in time for next year's global EXPO 2000 "Clean Energy" project. After that, the 7 Series with a fuel cell battery could be launched on the market for the public.
The task of the fuel cell unit is to provide current for the on-board electrical system. In this way, the "electrochemical battery" has a chance to perform the task it can do best, which is to generate electricity with a very high degree of efficiency. Even with hydrogen operation, BMW still sees the combustion engine as offering the greatest advantages for powering the vehicle itself.
In the 7 Series, the compact fuel cell battery simply occupies the space of a conventional lead-acid battery. However, the unit exceeds the standard battery in terms of performance and endurance. As a result, the fuel cell APU (auxiliary power unit) can not only supply power to all the conventional electrical equipment, but also makes some new functions possible. The future 7 Series will, for example, have an independent air conditioning system that supplies warm or cold air even when the engine is switched off, meaning zero emissions.
In related news, BMW has played a key role in the opening of the world's first public filling station for liquefied and gaseous hydrogen at the Munich Airport. The first vehicles to benefit from the hydrogen filling station will be BMW cars and airport buses. The cars will run on liquid, the airport buses on gaseous hydrogen -- once the German TUEV Authority has completed its last tests.
BMW's first liquid hydrogen cars, approved by the TUEV Authority, were on the road in 1979. Since then the fourth generation of BMW hydrogen cars have debuted and are in active service. |
