Cameron Diaz To Take BMW’s Hydrogen 7 To Oscars

Ecorazzi, Feb. 24, 2008:

As expected, some celebrities are opting to avoid Chevy’s fleet of fuel-friendly SUVs in favor of their own green transportation alternatives. One such gal is actress Cameron Diaz, who has decided to hitch a ride to the red carpet in BMW’s Hydrogen 7 sedan. This is the same car that’s currently being tested by the likes of Jay Leno, Will Ferrell, Jeremy Piven, and Edward Norton for everyday use. We also spied Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arriving to the premiere of Ocean’s 13 last year in the H7. Here’s what ABG has to say about this liquid-hydrogen powered vehicle:

“The H7 is a equipped with a dual fuel system that allows the V-12 engine to run on either gasoline or liquified hydrogen. Like other hydrogen-fueled internal combustion vehicles the H7 emits pretty much only water (and some trace amounts of NOx) when it’s running on hydrogen. BMW’s decision to follow the internal combustion path allows them to utilize their engine expertise, but the result is far less efficient than a fuel cell. Using liquid hydrogen also allows them to carry more hydrogen on board, but the insulated storage tank is much larger and heavier and the hydrogen boils off and must be vented to atmosphere.”

As with any vehicle taking advantage of hydrogen as a fuel source, there are still many problems yet to solve — the least of which is how to create hydrogen in a clean, energy-efficient manner. For more on the H7, check out BMW’s official site.

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Solar cell directly splits water for hydrogen

Physorg.com reports:

Penn State researchers have a proof-of-concept device that can split water and produce recoverable hydrogen.

"This is a proof-of-concept system that is very inefficient. But ultimately, catalytic systems with 10 to 15 percent solar conversion efficiency might be achievable," says Thomas E. Mallouk, the DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry and Physics. "If this could be realized, water photolysis would provide a clean source of hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight."

Mallouk and W. Justin Youngblood, postdoctoral fellow in chemistry, together with collaborators at Arizona State University, developed a catalyst system that, combined with a dye, can mimic the electron transfer and water oxidation processes that occur in plants during photosynthesis. They reported the results of their experiments at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science today in Boston.

The water splitting requires 1.23 volts, and the current experimental configuration cannot quite achieve that level so the researchers add about 0.3 volts from an outside source. Their current system achieves an efficiency of about 0.3 percent.

"Nature is only 1 to 3 percent efficient with photosynthesis," says Mallouk. "Which is why you can not expect the clippings from your lawn to power your house and your car. We would like not to have to use all the land area that is used for agriculture to get the energy we need from solar cells."

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