EU ENDORSES HYDROGEN COMBUSTION ENGINE AS TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE

EU HyICE project results in the first ever successful transatlantic
hydrogen-cooperation.

Munich/Brussels/Washington.
Ten European partners have completed the HyICE project - Optimization of the
Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine three years after the project first began.
This initiative, which was promoted by the EU Commission, has resulted in a
combustion engine fueled by hydrogen that offers clear advantages over other
propulsion systems in terms of performance and costs. The project team consists
of companies from the automotive industry, their supplier companies and two
Universities. This project, which was coordinated by BMW Group Research and
Technology, developed two concepts of mixture formation, which were approved on
engines for passenger cars as well as for citybuses. The necessary key
components were also developed. In addition, relevant simulation tools have
been adopted to Hydrogen combustion to support the development process of
future production engines. Furthermore, the top European hydrogen experts
shared their findings on a regular basis with researchers from the US
Department of Energy. This makes HyICE the first project of its kind within the
EU Commission.

EU Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potočnik said: "The HyICE
project clearly demonstrates the key role of EU research in reducing dependency
towards fossil fuels. This is an example of successful EU investment in
pre-competitive research, with a potential impact reaching way beyond Europe's
borders. The results achieved with a hydrogen combustion engine should
encourage industry to develop this form of mobility further. This is a key
contribution to preserve the environment and to keep Europe at the forefront of
global competition"

In March 2003, the then EU Commissioner for Research, Philippe Busquin, and the
State Secretary of the US Department of Energy, Spencer Abraham, decided to
share research findings more intensively between their respective continents.
The aim of this project for the EU was to promote cooperation on topics such as
climate change and energy in the Sixth Framework Program and to develop visions
for hydrogen energy sources and alternative drives.

With a distinct performance of 100 kW per liter cubic capacity (displacement),
the experts of HyICE have demonstrated that the hydrogen engine is a technology
for the future which matches performance-wise with conventional engines. This
was the first time researchers were able to concentrate exclusively on the
hydrogen combustion engine and were thus able to fully utilize the specific
properties of hydrogen. Up until now, hydrogen combustion engines were designed
for both, gasoline and hydrogen usage due to missing hydrogen infrastructure.
With this new technology hydrogen usage can be optimised.
Graz University of Technology, Hoerbiger Valve Tec, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, Volvo
Technology and BMW Group Research and Technology developed and tested two
concepts of mixture formation for this purpose: direct injection and external
cold mixture formation. In both methods performance was doubled while
consumption was reduced.

Together with BMW Group Research and Technology, the Swedish company Mecel
Engine Systems developed an ignition system which is accurately tailored to the
far-reaching flammability limits of hydrogen. This has increased efficiency and
reduced consumption. In order to make the properties of hydrogen more
transparent for future series developments, the IFP (French Institut Francais
du Petrole) and the German University of the Federal Armed Forces developed two
simulation models for hydrogen combustion in the cylinder. Using the optical
engine from the Graz University of Technology, the researchers succeeded in
observing the combustion behavior of hydrogen and checking the computer-aided
calculation models. These models were then incorporated into the commercial
calculation tool Ansys CFX, developed by Ansys Germany.

To extract the maximum benefit out of all efforts made at both sides of the
Atlantic Ocean, the Ford Research Center in Aachen built the transatlantic
bridges and coordinated the sharing of findings between the EU researchers and
the US hydrogen specialists. Alongside HyICE, the US Department of Energy is
also promoting a hydrogen engine project initiated by Ford (USA). It has
commissioned two National Laboratories in Illinois and California, as well as
North American Universities to carry out this work.

In conclusion, Prof. Raymond Freymann, Head of BMW Group Research and
Technology says: "The combustion engine is one of the most highly developed
industrial products. Over one hundred years have been invested in its
development. It demonstrates high performance levels and variability with low
costs and easy maintenance on a daily basis. With the use of hydrogen, it is
already providing a well-developed technical solution for sustainable mobility.
We are convinced that even in the future individual mobility using the hydrogen
combustion engine will remain an attractive method of transportation."