PressClub Asia · Article.
Hydrogen powered MINI concept to be unveiled at Frankfurt
Sun Sep 09 12:00:00 CEST 2001 Press Release
A concept MINI Cooper, to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 11 September, will give a glimpse into the future of fuel technology for smaller vehicles
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BMW Group
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Author.
Cindy Chia
BMW Group
A hydrogen powered MINI concept will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor
Show. It runs solely on hydrogen and shows the potential for a
virtually zero emissions vehicle which still offers outstanding
performance in an affordable package. MINI Cooper Hydrogen's engine
uses internal combustion technology - like the BMW Clean Energy cars -
and is based on the current 1.6 litre, four cylinder petrol unit.
However, the MINI features a possible new injection process in which
super-cooled liquid hydrogen is injected into the intake ducts where it
mixes with air before entering the cylinders for ignition. Previously,
the liquid hydrogen was heated to ambient temperature before
combustion. This super-cooled mixture increases the cylinder charge,
boosting both engine output and efficiency and offers a hydrogen engine
that has the potential to match the standards of a modern petrol engine
in every respect. The car also features a breakthrough in alternative
fuel packaging with a fuel tank that takes up the same space as a
conventional fuel tank. To date, cylindrical tanks had to be used which
take up passenger or luggage space. MINI Cooper Hydrogen is the next
chapter in BMW Group's search for alternatives to conventional fuels.
The BMW Group unveiled the first of its production hydrogen powered 7
Series models in 2000 and announced that it would be the world's first
manufacturer to offer series production hydrogen cars to customers.