A Hydrogen car runs on hydrogen gas instead of gasoline. There are currently two ways that this can be accomplished. Fuel cells allow hydrogen to be converted to electricity so that the vehicle is propelled with electric motors. The second option is to burn hydrogen in a conventional internal combustion engine.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYf60dxOAPo
Jay Leno and the BMW Hydrogen 7
Jay Leno drives the BMW Hydrogen 7 as he talks about the virtues of using this type of fuel. It is non polluting just like electric cars, but it uses an internal combustion engine like most vehicles do today. It also has a gas tank, and can seamlessly switch from gasoline to hydrogen combustion and back. He notes that everything people know and love about automobiles remains the same when the internal combustion engine is kept instead of being replaced with electric motors.
Fuel Cells
Fuel cells operate somewhat like batteries that don't run down. As long as they are supplied with fuel, they provide a constant source of electricity. Fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen to create electricity to run electric motors. Fuel cell vehicles generally have the same driving dynamics as all electric vehicles.http://www.fuelcells.org/basics/how.html
BMW Hydrogen 7
The BMW Hydrogen 7 is unique from hydrogen fuel cell vehicles because it uses the same twelve cylinder engine found in the gasoline powered BMW 760i to burn hydrogen. This allows the vehicle to drive and behave in a conventional way that consumers are already used to with none of the characteristics unique to electric vehicles.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYf60dxOAPo
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Fuel Cell powered automobiles use electric motors just like fully electric cars
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Fact:
The BMW Hydrogen 7 is unique because it burns liquid hydrogen using an internal combustion engine
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Fact:
Hydrogen fuelling stations are very rare for the time being
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Fact:
Cars that burn hydrogen don't have the same range limitations as electric cars
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Fact:
The BMW Hydrogen 7 was officially announced on September 12, 2006
