Filed under: Hydrogen, BMW, Green Daily
Edward Norton becomes newest BMW Hydrogen 7 driver
Let's see: Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Jay Leno, Jeremy Piven, Will Ferrell, Placido Domingo. Oh, and Terry Tamminen. These are just some of the celebrities that BMW has convinced of the goodness of the dual fuel (gasoline and hydrogen) BMW Hydrogen 7. The next movie star to take the wheel of one of these luxury vehicles is Ed Norton - who is both an advocate for solar energy and was awesome in Fight Club. The celebs are taking part in BMW's "Hydrogen 7 Pioneer Program," a PR campaign that "gives industry leaders and prominent figures in entertainment, politics, business and more a BMW Hydrogen 7 for their daily use." The peons - that is, us - can only drive a Hydrogen 7 in rare instances, like around the block at special events. Still, the H7 is a production model, albeit one that is available only in limited quantities. Press release pasted after the jump.
Gallery: AFVI Ride & Drive Hygroden 7
Press Release:
EDWARD NORTON SET TO DRIVE THE BMW HYDROGEN 7 ON U.S. ROADWAYS
02/27/2008
Norton Joins Will Ferrell, Jay Leno and Others To Be Among the First Americans to Hit the Roads In BMW's Hydrogen-Powered Vehicle
Woodcliff, NJ - February 27, 2008... BMW today announced that highly respected film actor and renewable energy advocate Edward Norton is the latest person to receive keys to a BMW Hydrogen 7 - the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan. The Golden Globe winner and two-time Academy Award nominee becomes the most recent member of the BMW Hydrogen 7 Pioneer Program, which gives industry leaders and prominent figures in entertainment, politics, business and more a BMW Hydrogen 7 for their daily use.
"The excitement of this car to me is that it demonstrates what we're capable of, and it inspires me to keep advocating for a more sustainable way of life," said Norton.
While Norton is widely known for his prolific and acclaimed acting career – which includes memorable roles in films such as Primal Fear (1996), for which he won a Golden Globe and received his first Oscar nomination; The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996); American History X (1998), for which he earned his second Oscar nod; and the critically acclaimed Fight Club (1999); among many others – Norton has also become a leading voice in the area of solar energy.
In 2003, Norton teamed up with oil giant and leading solar-panel producer BP to develop the Solar Neighbors Program, which aims to get photovoltaic (PV) panels onto low-income homes in Los Angeles. Norton brought star power to the cause with support from fellow celebrities – like Brad Pitt, who has also opted for the BMW Hydrogen 7 as his green ride of choice. Within its first year the program succeeded in getting resources for dozens of solar installations for inner-city families.
While the BMW Hydrogen 7 is not for sale, it is considered to be a milestone in bringing forward hydrogen as the sustainable fuel for individual transportation. Running in hydrogen mode, the BMW Hydrogen 7 essentially emits nothing but water vapor, representing a major step in reducing harmful CO2 emissions. It is not a concept car, but a production model vehicle that has successfully completed the entire Product Development Process.
BMW believes that hydrogen will replace petroleum as the long-term alternative to fossil fuel, and hopes the Hydrogen 7 will play a pioneering role in driving forward the hydrogen technologies that will ensure our mobility in the future. By harnessing the power and influence of individuals who, like Norton, are at the forefront of their respective disciplines, BMW hopes to continue to generate support of hydrogen-drive vehicles in the short term and stimulate demand for a viable hydrogen infrastructure in the long-term.
A number of entertainers, politicians, business leaders and more have already opted for a BMW Hydrogen 7 as their energy-efficient ride of choice in order to evaluate the technology. Those who have recently chosen the vehicle include previously announced members of the BMW Hydrogen 7 Pioneer Program: Will Ferrell, Jay Leno, opera star Placid Domingo and famed director Steve Gaghan, among others. Other notable figures who have opted for rides in a BMW Hydrogen 7 include Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the "Ocean's 13" premiere in Hollywood; Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Liguori at the FOX All-Star Party in Santa Monica; Richard Gere and Sharon Stone at the Cinema for Peace Gala in Berlin; and "An Inconvenient Truth" producer Davis Guggenheim (Oscar® for the best Documentary Feature) and Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® winner, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck at the 2007 Academy Awards. The vehicle has also made an impact oversees, with luminaries such as Michael Glos, German Federal Minister for Economy and Technology, and Günter Verheugen, Vice President of the European Commission, world renowned soprano Anna Netrebko and many others.
BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and the upcoming X6 Sport Activity Coupe. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 82 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:
www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorcycles.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
[Source: BMW]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
A.Brien 3:16PM (2/27/2008)
Is there a place that sell liquid hydrogen fuel in the los-angeles area?
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steven 4:19PM (2/27/2008)
Explain to us again how you'd actually go about convincing someone of the goodness of a dual fuel BMW Hydrogen 7 when you make the car available to them for free and cover all the operating expenses including keeping it full of fuel? Granted it is only a $100K+ car and a bit below many of their normal automotive purchases. Maybe I don't watch enough movies to get all this gushy about free cars for multimillionaires. Wonder what you'd say if maybe a teen rock band bought a hybrid from some America car company and was involved in a PR event with the same company.
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Yggdrasilly 4:53PM (2/27/2008)
So will his friend Ralph Kramden be driving a fuel-cell bus?
(If you get that joke...man, you're old...)
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1985 Gripen 5:16PM (2/27/2008)
Too bad these celebrities are more than willing participants in this BMW greenwash. Where does all that hydrogen come from? Who cares?!?! Look, all that comes out the tailpipe is water and NOx!
People, look at well-to-wheels, not just tank-to-wheels.
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Chris M 6:45PM (2/27/2008)
"A number of entertainers, politicians, business leaders and more have already opted for a BMW Hydrogen 7 as their energy-efficient ride of choice in order to evaluate the technology."
No way can the BMW Hydrogen 7 be considered "energy efficient". It only gets 15 mpg running on petrol, and running on liquid hydrogen the efficiency is even less, due to the huge energy losses in producing and liquifying H2. We could drive a fleet of 50 electric car (and throw in a few electric trucks), each driven the same distance, and still use less electric power than would be needed to make the liquid H2 to drive this fuel guzzler. (4 mpg on liquid H2)
In that list of celebrities, none are engineers or scientists. It is doubtful any of those celebs are qualified to "evaluate the technology". With a free car and free fuel, they won't have to experience sticker shock or pain at the pump - the GGE (gallon of gas equivalent) price of H2 is about $8, slightly more for liquid H2.
The Hy7 is just a cynical greenwash promotional vehicle for BMW, they don't really intend to build any for sale. Of course, BMW will never produce any H2 powered cars for "mere mortals", the peons couldn't afford the fuel bill.
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Jon Dutch 7:13PM (2/27/2008)
The current Hydrogen campaign by BMW has some very obvious flaws, most notably the continued use of an ICE. Hydrogens best use, IMHO is in a fuel cell to power an electric car. I do see a silver lining on the BMW efforts though in that they could create a transitional technology. If they keep this up and actually create a hydrogen distribution infrastructure (rather then the mobile fueling option they currently use for these high-profile rentals) this could really help make the fuel cell segment more viable. Combine that with the recent innovations in efficient electrolysis for hydrogen production and reduced fuel cell manufacturing costs and we could really see that tech take off. I would love the opportunity to throw a fuel cell into a ZAP Alias or Obvio 828e (http://www.zapworld.com) and fly.
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Peekoyle 9:05PM (2/27/2008)
I really am shocked that Ed Norton would allow himself to be exploited like this for BMW's Hydrogen Greenwashing Campaign.
I thought he was smarter than this. Heck, I used to think BMW was a smart car company!?
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deuce 7:39AM (2/28/2008)
You know what the lamest part is other than the fact the hydrogen7 is actually an environmental offender? Ed Norton cannot park at that complex where that picture is taken. Its a center for media post production and what not, and the parking is underground. He has to park a block away at another company's parking lot, outdoors. Why you ask? Because of the potential bomb that car can be. If that thing explodes at the media center's complex, everyone dies. Therefore he has to park that thing in front of some other poor company's outdoor parking lot...
what a load of crock BMW is trying to sell...
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Doug 12:18PM (2/28/2008)
This car is not 'Green.' It creates Nitrous Oxide. This is a marketing scam.
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Mik_Cal 1:09PM (2/28/2008)
I think this is a matter of BMW finding a way to "play out" the H7 program as they already have invested so much in it and built some actual vehicles. Looking forward they should phase this out for less dramatic hybrid offerings. Less PR friendly unless BMW can come up with some radical new hybrid design.
Ed Norton should know better.
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sylset 10:09AM (3/04/2008)
All you nay sayers are miopic! Hydrogen is LESS volitile than gasoline. There are new methods of hydrogen production that use waste as feedstock for production. And hydrogen fuel cell vehicles release only water. Hydrogen ICE produce barely trace amounts of NOx. If you are gonna knock a new method of energy/power, have all your facts straight. You are either oil propogandists or morons!
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PatrickS 10:55AM (3/04/2008)
Cheers to BMW for getting their hydrogen car out on the road! And cheers to them for making the world's first production quality hydrogen vehicle. This is an important step in the right direction towards making hydrogen vehicles available to consumers. And having no carbon tailpipe emissions is a huge step forward in the right direction as well. The vehicle may not be perfect. But then no vehicle is. This is a positive direction to be moving. We need all progress we can get if we're going to have any hope of using alternative fuels and technologies to power and fuel our vehicles.
It's easy to complain from your keyboard. It's much more admirable do something that takes a positive step forward.
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Bono Johnson 11:55AM (10/31/2008)
H2 is the place to be. My colleagues have discovered a way to use hydrogen more efficiently. They are getting up to 100 mpg for a small car that normally gets below 40 mpg. All you need to do is make the hydrogen in an efficient way from water. There are many groups trying to do this now but only one has figured out the best way at the moment.
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