BMW zero-liter cars drive over 100,000 kilometers in everyday use

Munich, Germany, November 10, 2000...The zero-liter cars of the Munich BMW
Group have passed the 100,000 kilometer mark. With a fleet of fifteen
hydrogen-powered BMW 750hL models, the BMW Group has thus proven that this
cleanest of all fuels is suitable for everyday use. The cars have been in
operation since May of this year. The luxuriously fitted sedans with an output
of 204 horsepower and a gasoline consumption of zero liters demonstrate that
hydrogen and the combustion engine are the best combination for ecologically
sound travel in the future. Dynamic performance and agility do not suffer,
while excellent driving performance figures ensure driving pleasure in its
cleanest form.

These vehicles were used at the EXPO for a daily shuttle service for VIPs and
visitors. The outcome is impressive: over 3,000 guests took the opportunity to
experience the future of the automobile over the last five months. The vehicles
were fueled several hundred times reliably and without any technical breakdowns.

For BMW, the use of hydrogen is linked to the combustion engine: "The
combustion engine offers benefits in terms of cost, performance capacity and
weight. For mobile use, it cannot be replaced by the fuel cell with an
electrical engine. While fuel cell automobiles only exist as prototypes, the
BMW hydrogen cars are on the road every day," explains Anton Reisinger,
responsible for the consistent realization of the strategy as project manager
of CleanEnergy. With its CleanEnergy strategy, BMW is striving for the
worldwide establishment of a hydrogen industry based on regenerative energies.
The main source is solar energy, which has made considerable progress over
recent years. "The sun supplies us with a year's energy for the earth's
population within just one hour - free of charge. We now have the technology to
harness this potential," says Reisinger. "And this is the only way to achieve
our ultimate goal: the reduction of CO2 emissions in road traffic to zero."

Methanol, sometimes put forward as a fuel for the fuel cell, is not an
alternative as far as BMW is concerned: "Methanol is highly poisonous and
corrosive. Filling stations would have to be reequipped at high cost. There are
no significant advantages to the customer in terms of handling. What is more,
methanol first has to be converted to hydrogen in the vehicle; this means a
considerable decrease in efficiency," explains Dr. Juliane Wolf, responsible at
the BMW Group for issues of road traffic and the environment. The main
disadvantage of methanol, however, is the release of carbon dioxide: this
climatic gas is produced when methanol is converted to hydrogen.

"I am proud that the BMW Group has taken on a leading role in the development
of mobility solutions which are sustainable in the future. Our fleet of
hydrogen-powered 7 Series cars proves that zero-liter need not mean a
sacrifice," says Joachim Milberg, Chairman of the Board of the BMW Group. At
the same time, Milberg welcomes Chancellor Schröder's statement, who promised
government support for the development of the zero-liter car last Tuesday. "The
automobile companies need political support to break away from their dependency
on mineral oil. Hydrogen is the way to achieve this."

Contact:

Thomas Steffes
BMW Group
011-49-89-382-24697
presse@bmw.de