BMW is the official limousine for the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan

A total of 21 BMW Hydrogen 7 hydrogen-powered cars are providing the official shuttle service at the most important climate change conference of the year. Delegates at the UN climate change conference COP 14 taking place in Poznan, Poland, will be chauffeured in the BMW Hydrogen 7, which uses hydrogen as fuel. In addition, the BMW Group is also presenting a pair of electrically-driven MINI E cars at the event.

The BMW Group is using these two innovative models to showcase sustainable mobility of the future. The delegates in Poznan are enjoying familiar reliability and comfort in the fleet of 21 BMW Hydrogen 7 official shuttle vehicles at the summit, but with an extra dose of environment-friendliness. The BMW Hydrogen 7 has already furnished evidence of its everyday practicality in countries around the world. 100 units of the car have racked up more than 3.5 million kilometres worldwide since the launch of the hydrogen fleet in late 2006. The BMW Hydrogen 7 is fitted with a hydrogen combustion engine, which can be fuelled with either petrol or the cleanest option of all: hydrogen. In hydrogen mode the BMW Hydrogen 7 also emits virtually no CO2, yet delivers 260 hp - and thus proves that
sustainable mobility and "Sheer Driving Pleasure" can go hand in hand.

Earlier this year, the BMW Hydrogen 7 was introduced to the Singapore public at the BMW CleanEnergy Pavilion as a showcase of BMW Group's efforts on sustainable mobility. For the fourth consecutive year this year, the evaluation for the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) shows that the BMW Group is still leading its sector as the most sustainable automobile company.

A pilot project involving more than 500 electrically-powered MINI-based cars has been launched to explore the potential of electromobility in both the USA and Europe. The BMW Group has made two examples of the MINI E available for test drives in Poznan by way of demonstrating this technology.

[B]Focusing on developments further up the supply chain[/B]
The use of hydrogen and electrical power ensures that the cars themselves emit practically no CO2. The BMW Group is a leader in the development of these two technologies. Indeed, experts in Munich first began researching and building battery and hydrogen-powered cars back in the 1970s. The BMW Hydrogen 7 shuttles in Poznan run on climate neutral hydrogen. If hydrogen is produced out of renewable energy through electrolysis, CO2 emissions can be cut by up to 90% further up the supply chain. The key for both hydrogen power and electromobility lies not only in the ability of the vehicles to run CO2-free but also in the development of supply chains and infrastructure to provide them with clean hydrogen and electricity. This represents both a political and an economic challenge. The BMW Group is seeking discussions on open questions related to hydrogen and electromobility at both the climate summit in Poznan and in regular stakeholder dialogue.

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Credits: JRC