BMW SETS 9 RECORDS WITH HYDROGEN COMBUSTION ENGINE

Top Speed over 300 km/h
BMW Writes Automotive History in Hydrogen Record Run

Munich / Miramas. Hydrogen does not only mean top performance in rockets
traveling to outer space: BMW has proven what the hydrogen car is capable of,
setting 9 records for cars powered by a hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion
engine. "Nine records marking the start into the hydrogen age. BMW technology
has already come a long way. Now, together with politicians and the energy
industry, we must turn our vision of sustained mobility into reality", stated
Professor Burkhard Göschel, Board Member of the BMW Group, during the speed
record trials in Miramas. Achieving this amazing success at the high-speed
Miramas Proving Grounds in France, the BMW Group has clearly proven its
conviction that hydrogen is able to replace conventional fuel without requiring
the driver to compromise dynamic performance.

The specifications of the H2R Record Car are a testament to this possibility.
The 6-liter V12 engine develops an output of more than 210 kW or 285 bhp. This
engine propels the BMW prototype to 100 km/h in approximately 6 seconds and
gives it a top speed of more than 302.4 km/h (185.5 mph). Based on the gasoline
power unit featured in the BMW 760i, BMW's hydrogen combustion engine boasts
the most advanced technologies such as BMW's fully variable VALVETRONIC valve
drive.

The main modifications to the engine involve the fuel injection system adapted
by BMW to the special attributes and requirements of hydrogen. The H2R Record
Car benefits from the results gained in series development of BMW's future
hydrogen engine for the world's first premium sedan built for dual-mode
operation.

BMW will launch a dual-mode version of the current 7 Series during the
production cycle of the present model, thus introducing the first car of its
kind able to run on both hydrogen and gasoline.

The H2R prototype set the following records shown here in terms of times
measured and speed achieved:

time in sec speed in mph
- Flying-start kilometer: 11.993 300.190
- Flying-start mile: 19.912 290.962
- Standing-start 1/8 mile: 9.921 72.997
- Standing-start ¼ mile: 14.933 96.994
- Standing-start ½ kilometer: 17.269 104.233
- Standing-start mile: 36.725 157.757
- Standing-start 10 miles: 221.052 262.094
- Standing-start kilometer: 26.557 135.557
- Standing-start 10 kilometers: 146.406 245.892

BMW works drivers Alfred Hilger, Jörg Weidinger and Günther Weber took turns at
the wheel of the Record Car during their record-breaking session.

BMW's motive in setting up these records was not only to prove the power and
performance of the hydrogen engine. In addition, the reliability and durability
of the technology used clearly demonstrates BMW?s leadership in developing the
hydrogen engine to production standard. In this process BMW is concentrating on
the combustion engine, simply because the combustion power unit, given the sum
total of all its features and characteristics, still offers the largest number
of advantages and benefits all in one.

The H2R Record Car: developed in just 10 months

The BMW H2R Record Car was conceived, designed and developed by BMW Forschung
und Technik GmbH, the legendary subsidiary of BMW AG. The expressive,
purposeful exterior design was created by DesignworksUSA, the California-based
strategic design consultancy owned by BMW Group. The name ?H2R? stands for
?Hydrogen Record Car?.

"We had just 10 months to develop the H2R prototype", states Jürgen Kübler, the
H2R Project Manager. But a short time span like this is quite normal for the
creative engineers that make this Company so very special.

In the process the engineers and development specialists were of course
supported by three factors: First, the components featured in BMW's hydrogen
production car of the future have now reached a high degree of maturity
allowing their straightforward adaptation for the record car. Second, the
development specialists were able, in the development process, to use proven
BMW chassis and suspension systems which matched the strict requirements. And
third, far-reaching use of CAD technology allowed for an effective and
efficient development process.

The engine: series production 12 cylinder specially adapted for hydrogen

The "heart" of the H2R Record Car is based by and large on BMW's
top-of-the-line power unit, the Company's 6.0-liter V12. It is able to run on
hydrogen fuel through the adjustment of engine management as well as the
fuel/air mixture formation components.

The most significant differences in terms of the engine's structural components
are the hydrogen injection valve and the choice of materials for the combustion
chambers: Contrary to the production engine with fuel injected directly into
the combustion chambers themselves, the injection valves in the hydrogen engine
are integrated into the intake manifolds. And for the specific speed record
requirements to be fulfilled in this case the hydrogen combustion engine was
designed and built for single-mode operation, running exclusively on hydrogen.

This allowed the engineers to set up and tune the engine specifically for
hydrogen requirements, for example by using special valve seat rings made of an
appropriate material. The reason for this necessity is that hydrogen does not
have the lubricating effect of a conventional gasoline/air mixture. It is worth
noting in this context that this need to cope with a lower level of lubrication
has come up before. With the introduction of unleaded gasoline, production
engines have been built with even stronger and more resistant materials.

Hydrogen providing enhanced efficiency

The combustion properties of hydrogen are quite different from those of
gasoline or diesel: While hydrogen burns faster than conventional fuels under
normal air pressure, the combustion temperature is slightly lower than in the
case of gasoline.

Inside the engine the high combustion speed of the hydrogen/air mixture
generates a higher temperature than in an engine running on gasoline. Engine
management of the BMW H2R Record Car has been modified accordingly. The
hydrogen/air mixture is not ignited until the piston reaches top dead center,
thus ensuring maximum output. With a gasoline/air mixture burning relatively
slowly, by comparison, the mixture must be ignited at an increasingly early
point as a function of engine speed, the pressure peak thus being reached just
as the piston starts to move down.

A significant advantage of the higher combustion pressure of the hydrogen/air
mixture is that the generation of more power from the same amount of energy
means a higher degree of efficiency.

As desirable as the high standard of ignitability of hydrogen within the engine
may be, it also requires a great deal of attention outside of the combustion
chamber. To avoid misfiring, for example, BMW's engineers have developed a
specific gas cycle and injection strategy, with BMW's VANOS infinite camshaft
adjustment masterminding the share of residual gas according to specific,
on-demand requirements:

Before the hydrogen/air mixture is able to flow into the cylinders, the
combustion chambers are cooled by air to ensure that the fuel/air mixture is
not able to ignite in an undesired, uncontrolled process.

VALVETRONIC providing optimum conditions for hydrogen drive
Exclusive to BMW, VALVETRONIC technology serving as a standard feature to
mastermind the valves on the 12 cylinder gives the Company's engine development
specialists an ideal tool for controlling this demanding gas charge cycle.
VALVETRONIC controls not only the duration of valve movement, but also the
actual valve lift. This effect is provided by an intermediate lever between the
camshaft and the two intake valves on each cylinder infinitely modified in its
position relative to the camshaft by an additional eccentric shaft operated by
an electric motor. Depending on the position of this eccentric shaft, the lever
transforms the "hump" on the cams into a larger or smaller valve movement.

VALVETRONIC is based on BMW's infinite camshaft adjustment process. Already
well-known under its trade name VANOS, this system is an integral part of the
VALVETRONIC concept. Incorporating a hydraulically controlled adjuster unit in
the camshaft drive, VANOS modifies the beginning and end of the valve opening
period, fully variable valve management serving to adjust the gas charge cycle
in the 12 cylinder power unit perfectly to the requirements and characteristics
of hydrogen drive.

Special injection valves for hydrogen power

With hydrogen being injected into the intake manifold as late as possible, the
injection valves have to meet very demanding requirements. Hence, the valves
are a trendsetting new development for BMW. And since gaseous hydrogen takes up
a larger volume per unit of energy than liquid gasoline, the hydrogen injection
valves are larger than conventional injection valve units.

In addition, the valves have to cover a far wider range of different
requirements, operating under all kinds of system pressure levels and with
injection periods ranging from very short to relatively long. One of the main
objectives in developing the valves was to inject exactly the right amount of
hydrogen required into the intake manifold within a very short time-frame at
very high engine speeds and under full load.

A clean mixture formation process: less fuel consumption under part load, extra
power under full load

Under full load the 12 cylinder power unit runs on a fuel/air mixture of
lambda = 1. This is exactly the same mixture we find on a state-of-the-art
gasoline engine and one which, in principle, offers the highest and most
efficient power output in a combustion engine. Under part load - again a
significant benefit offered by hydrogen - the engine runs efficiently in the
lean burn mode with surplus air.

Under specific conditions, that is with a specific fuel/air mixture, the
combustion of hydrogen leads to the generation of nitric oxides. This mixture
"slot" starts slightly above lambda = 1 and extends to the range of lambda > 2.

The simple solution to this problem is to leave out this mixture "window"
altogether, since it is not required for running the engine. Hence, the fast
management system controlling the BMW hydrogen engine skips this operating
range completely, thus avoiding NOx emissions in the process. As a result, the
H2R Record Car?s emissions are limited, for all practical purposes, to nothing
but steam.

Safety technology
The fuel system featured in the BMW H2R Record Car is based on a proven series
development concept. Fuel is filled into the tank of the H2R prototype at a
mobile hydrogen filling station through a manual tank coupling. The
vacuum-insulated, double-walled tank has a capacity of more than 11 kilos of
liquid hydrogen and is fitted next to the driver's seat. A total of three
valves ensure optimum safety, the operating valve on the tank opening at a
pressure of 4.5 bar.

Two additional safety valves rule out any dangerous consequences of possible
leaks in the jacket around the tank serving to keep the hydrogen at the low
temperature required, opening up as soon as pressure within the tank exceeds
the limit of 5 bar. This double-redundant safety system guarantees optimum
safety at all times, ensuring that the hydrogen tank will not burst as a result
of excess pressure.

Heat exchanger instead of a gasoline pump
Gas pressure builds up in the fuel supply system simply because of the rising
temperature of the cryogenic, liquid hydrogen in the tank and is kept at an
operating pressure of approximately 3 bar by a tank pressure controller. Then
the coolant running within the 12 cylinder power unit warms up the hydrogen gas
in a heat exchanger to ambient temperature.

Valve technology
Additional valves monitor the pressure of gas in the fuel pipes leading to the
engine: Cold low-temperature valves inside the tank control the removal of
hydrogen from the tank itself. Should any of the pre-flow pipes develop a leak,
with supply pressure dropping below 0.4 bar, the fuel supply valves close
automatically, disconnecting and sealing the tank off from its surroundings.
The supply pipe can also be interrupted manually by an interruptor tap.
To maintain optimum supply pressure on the injection valves at all times ?
especially as this pressure may vary as a function of driving conditions ?
engine management reduces pressure in the supply pipe to approximately 1.2 bar
by means of a control valve fitted specifically for this purpose.

This comprehensive safety system featured in the H2R Record Car is supervised
additionally by a telemetric system of the same type as in Formula 1. Four
hydrogen sensors fitted at neuralgic points - for example in the tank itself
and around the tank coupling - recognize any leakage immediately and inform the
driver accordingly.

Chassis and suspension
Focusing on the structure and chassis of the BMW H2R Record Car, the engineers
and development specialists at BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH used series
components carried over from a sophisticated, thoroughbred BMW sports car: the
monocoque aluminum spaceframe as well as the entire chassis and suspension
system. High-strength aluminum structure panels using the advantages of
aluminum as a particularly light material resistant to corrosion fill in the
open spaces between the extra-large extrusion-pressed profiles giving the car
its stable "skeleton".

The result for the driver is a very stable driving experience without the
slightest vibration or body "tremble".

The front suspension is based on a double-wishbone spring strut front axle
together with rack-and-pinion steering, aluminum track control arms, a tiebar,
and an anti-roll bar. The front axle subframe is formed by a welded aluminum
structure made up of extrusion-pressed profile bars and plates holding all
front axle components and bolted to the body at six points. The track control
arm made of forged aluminum comes complete with two ball joints in the interest
of precise wheel guidance and directional stability.

Wheel guidance and stability at the rear is provided by an integral four-link
axle, a multi-arm principle patented by BMW and rounded off in this case by an
anti-roll bar. Optimum road contact and safety, finally, is ensured by tires
measuring 245/40 x 19.

The bodyshell: outer skin made of carbon fiber
The designers have also given the H2R Record Car a truly unique body: ?We
wanted to embrace the aerodynamic requirements we defined in the wind tunnel
with a form language that was appropriate to the purpose of the car; the
results are a true expression of the car's functional requirements and
objectives to be clean, fast, and uniquely BMW," said Michael Scully, Senior
Designer of DesignworksUSA , who combines his intense involvement in
motorsports with the intellectual and aesthetic challenges of multidisciplinary
design.

Measuring 5.40 meters in length and 2 meters in width, the body of the car is
designed through and through for optimum streamlining. And to reach record
speeds, the frontal area measures just 1.85 square meters and the drag
coefficient is a mere 0.21. At the rear a 20-centimeter-long diffuser prevents
air swirl behind the car, which might potentially slow it down.

The side profile and sheer length of the H2R prototype also serve to ensure
stable driving characteristics at very high speeds. Like on a Formula 1 racing
car, the outer skin is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic offering the
optimum combination of superior stiffness and low weight: Overall weight of the
H2R with a full tank and the driver at the wheel is 1560 kg or 3440 lb.

For questions please contact:

Corporate Communications
Daniel Kammerer, AK-21, Head of CleanEnergy Communications
Telephone: +49-89-382-25506, Fax: +49-89-382-27563

Michael Blabst, AK-21, Head of Technology Communications
Telephone: +49-89-382-24697, Fax: +49-89-382-27563

Media Website: www.press.bmwgroup.com

e-mail: presse@bmw.de