Hydrogen Safety- New Challenges Based on BMW Hydrogen 7

The BMW Hydrogen 7 is the world’s first premium sedan with a bi-fuelled internal combustion engine concept that has undergone the series development process. This car also displays the BMW typical driving pleasure. During development, the features of the hydrogen energy source were emphasized. Engine, tank system and vehicle electronics were especially developed as integral parts of the vehicle for use with hydrogen. The safety-oriented development process established additional strict hydrogen-specific standards for the Hydrogen 7. The fulfilment of these standards were demonstrated in a comprehensive experimentation and testing program, which included all required tests and a large number of additional hydrogen-specific crash tests, such as side impacts to the tank coupling system, or rear impacts. Furthermore the behaviour of the hydrogen tank was tested under extreme conditions, for instance in flames and after strong degradation of the insulation. Testing included over 1.7 million km of driving; and all tests were passed successfully, proving the intrinsic safety of the vehicle and also confirming the success of the safety-oriented development process, which is to be continued during future vehicle development. A safety concept for future hydrogen vehicles poses new challenges for vehicles and infrastructure. One goal is to develop a car fuelled by hydrogen only while simultaneously optimizing the safety concept. Another important goal is removal of (self-imposed) restrictions for parking in enclosed spaces, such as garages. We present a vision of safety standards requirements and a program for fulfilling them.