BMW Natural Gas Vehicles - Clean, Reliable, Economical

Munich/Berlin. Natural gas power is a type of drive which already complies with
the most stringent environmental standards. Since 1995 BMW has been including
natural gas vehicles in its European programme as standard.
Following the prolongation of the tax concessions promoting natural gas as a
fuel BMW is expecting the service station infrastructure to be extended to
cover the whole of Germany required to ensure the lasting market success of the
natural gas vehicle under the new initiative of the Federal Association of the
German Gas and Water Industry.
BMW is actively supporting the image campaign with the aim of securing the
long-term market success of natural gas vehicles for both the environment and
the economy.

BMW is staying with gas: clear decision in favour of natural gas.
As the first and to date the only German automobile manufacturer, BMW is
demonstrating its active commitment to the introduction and wider usage of this
low-emission energy source as a vehicle fuel by offering the standard natural
gas vehicle 316g. With this step BMW is not only giving support to the concept
but also to the relevant intentions and requirements of the gas industry
through an entrepreneurial decision. BMW has assumed the leading role as a
pragmatic trendsetter who not only promises future-oriented drive technologies
but also offers them to the customer in the market.

BMW sees the natural gas vehicle, which was included in the standard model
range as early as 1995, as the first consistent step towards a hydrogen-powered
vehicle. Natural gas und hydrogen are very similar to each other in terms of
their vehicle-relevant characteristics. However, as long as hydrogen remains
practically unavailable as a source of energy in sufficient quantities, the
non-toxic natural gas will serve as an introduction sparing resources and an
environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional fuel: Engines fuelled by
natural gas for example emit over 20% less climate-relevant carbon dioxide
(CO2) and 80% less ozone-producing hydrocarbons (HC) with identical levels of
consumption.
At the beginning of 1999 the tax concessions for the fuel natural gas were
extended by the German federal government until 2009. This satisfies an
important prerequisite for the spread of natural gas throughout the market. To
ensure the long-term success of the natural gas automobile the BMW Group is now
expecting the service station infrastructure to be consistently extended to
cover the whole of Germany under the initiative.

Unproblematic everyday vehicle: 316g powered by natural gas.
The first standard natural gas automobile is an unproblematic everyday vehicle.
Given the sparse network of gas service stations the 316g is equipped with a
pressure gas tank including the necessary technical components as well as a
conventional petrol system. In terms of safety and quality the 316g matches up
with conventionally driven automobiles, is a fully integrated part of the model
range and is thus not subject to any restrictions regarding warranties or
service. The CNG steel tank with a capacity of 80 litres takes the place of the
rear passenger seat, which means that the seating capacity is limited to two
occupants. In return the boot is 1½ times larger. The compact 3 Series was
primarily designed for city traffic. The operating range with natural gas fuel
is - depending on the driving conditions - between 200 und 250 km with an EU
total consumption of 5 kilograms of gas per 100 kilometres. In Germany the 316g
costs 6,600 Marks (including VAT.) more than the corresponding petrol-driven
version.

The safety of comprehensive protection
The following principle applies: The use of natural gas is no more dangerous
than petrol, just different. Nonetheless the gaseous pressurised fuel requires
complex safety systems that are different to those for conventional fuel. For
this reason the gas tank is equipped with a specially developed steel framework
which ensures secure attachment to the bodywork. And in the event of an
accident the tank must not become detached and put the occupants at risk. A
specially designed valve protection system ensures that in the event of an
impact from the side the shutoff valve on the tank is not damaged. There is
even a special safety precaution in the worst-case scenario of a vehicle fire.

The advantages and disadvantages of natural gas as a fuel.
There are many arguments in favour of natural gas. For example, sizeable
deposits are available at geographically advantageous locations. Thanks to a
dense network of pipelines there is no problem with the supply of natural gas
in Germany, as in other industrialised countries, particularly in conurbations.
Unlike other alternative sources of energy a marketing network is already in
place with the exception of service stations and does not first have to be
developed involving high costs and technical risks. Natural gas is also a
primary energy source. For tank storage it only has to be cleaned and
compressed or liquefied, something which does require energy. Petrol or diesel
fuel on the other hand first have to be produced from crude oil by refineries.

Large fleets of vehicles powered by natural gas are being used for example in
America, New Zealand, Argentina, Italy and Russia. In all, over one million
retrofitted vehicles are taking advantage of this environmentally friendly
source of energy from the ground.

As planned in BMW's energy strategy, the engineers employed by the BMW Group
will next of all permit the storage of liquefied natural gas in the vehicle,
something which will allow the operating range to be increased threefold with a
tank of identical size.

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