BMW certainly hasn't been shy in promoting its hydrogen-powered vehicles, and that promotion extends into some classrooms. As part of its education/promotion campaign, BMW has issued a document called H2 - Mobility of the Future, and yesterday provided an updated version of the package on this website by clicking on the heading "Educational Projects."

What's in this "educational package"? 31 chapters on the supply of hydrogen, how fossil and renewable energy will continue to play a role in BMW's future and how we'll eventually get to a hydrogen economy. The H2 package also includes "an extensive glossary, a list of additional internet links, as well as a portfolio of exercises specially tailored to the needs of pupils aged 15 and older. Practical notes from Germany's State Institute for Teaching Quality and Education Research (ISB) on the inclusion of the materials in science teaching round off this information pack." Sound like good reading? The Bavarians will mail you a free print copy if you'd like (see details after the jump).

[Source: BMW]

BMW must think that people who spend their days planning how to leave this earth are the right target for the Hydrogen 7 hype. Last fall, a fleet of the dual-fuel cars spent two months at NASA; this month the Atlantis Space Shuttle crew chilling in Munich (visiting the BMW Group as part of a tour of Germany) got a chance to test out the luxury vehicle. It worked, as Space Shuttle Commander Stephen Frick is now a fan. In a statement (available after the jump) he said, "It's impressive to see hydrogen functioning so smoothly in cars as well. What I find most striking is that a car running on hydrogen performs just as well as a petrol-driven model." It's always good to remember at times like this that the H7 can run on hydrogen or petrol, and there's nothing in BMW's media release that says the car was running on H2 when Frick was on board.

Pretty soon, we're going to have to list the people who aren't driving a BMW Hydrogen 7. BMW is offering the car to celebrities, average citizens and politicians the world over. Some of us get to drive it around the block, others get to keep it for a week or two. The latest to be handed the keys is EU Parliamentary president Hans-Gert Pöttering (pictured), who stepped into the car yesterday in Strasburg. BMW says (after the jump) that this move was "In line with the European Parliament's efforts to take measures to reduce its own CO₂ emissions." Pöttering will use the car for work-related trips. For his part, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of BMW AG, said the Hydrogen 7 "shows that we have initial solutions and are on the right track" and that for "regeneratively produced hydrogen has the most potential to secure our mobility in the future." Potential, always with the potential.

There was a panel discussion at this week's SAE Congress that I couldn't pass up. Titled "Fuel Cell Vehicle Panel: Challenges Remaining for Commercialization," the session was a bit of a brainstorm on just how we might one day drive hydrogen-fueled cars with some of the people who are working quite diligently on the problem today. The panel featured Dr. Massimo Venturi, CTO of NuCellsys GmbH, Germany, Dr. Kev Adjemian, senior principle engineer, Nissan Fuel Cell Laboratory, Michigan, and Dr. James Miller, director, Electrochemical Technology Program, Argonne National Lab (for DOE), Fuel Cell Laboratory, Chicago. The three spoke and answered questions for about 30 minutes. Needless to say, the big problems weren't solved in this half hour, but it was enlightening to hear from another industry panel where things stand today regarding the automobile and the hydrogen economy. Considering that the public's perception of hydrogen fuel is currently defined (for many) as the Hindenberg explosion, there are more than just technological issues to deal with.

Because of the nature of the SAE Congress, I did not have permission to post the audio of this panel. Instead, I've detailed some of what was said and given a few of my own thoughts after the break.

As we wrote on April Fool's Day (but wasn't a joke), GM's vice president for research & development and planning, Larry Burns, delivered a speech at the National Hydrogen Association conference highlighting his GM's bullish stance on hydrogen cars. Reuters spoke to Burns about his speech and learned of the General's plans to have 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles driving in California between 2012 and 2014. Through Project Driveway, GM already has around 60 fuel cell Equinoxes in SoCal, and Burns told Reuters that "The next logical play for us is to take that up to a car scale of about 1,000," with mainstream acceptance and financial viability of hydrogen cars following in 2017 or 2018. We'll see.

[Source: Reuters]

There is certainly no lack of people willing to make bold pronouncements regarding hydrogen cars. Over the summer, we heard about a million hydrogen-powered vehicles in India by 2020. Last year, there was talk of six million hydrogen cars in Europe by that same date. Today, over in Shanghai, GM vice president Elizabeth Lowery told Reuters that GM will be the first company to make a million fuel cell-powered vehicles. Lowery was helping to unveil the hydrogen Chevy Equinox in China.

GM's hydrogen timeline is already in motion, with Project Driveway underway (stay tuned for some news on that in a little bit). The company has previously announced that it hopes to have fuel cell vehicles available for sale/lease by around 2011 or 2012, and the million vehicle mark should be reached not too long thereafter.

So, GM's intention is easy to read. What would you do if you were a betting man?

[Source: Reuters / Fang Yan]

Moderated by Leslie Goodbody from the California Air Resources Board, the Hydrogen/Fuel Cell Technology Panel at the Santa Monica Alt Car Expo featured three speakers (plus one). Each of them gave an upbeat view of hydrogen cars. Big surprise.

Steve Ellis, American Honda Motor Company manager of Honda's fuel cell program. teased (once again, for those of us who are paying attention) the story that Honda will be offering a fuel cell car to consumers in 2008. This means that people who aren't Q'orianka Kilcher, the young movie star who also spoke at the panel, will be able to drive a hydrogen fuel cell, if they're keen on the idea. Details, unsurprisingly, are still under wraps.

Vasilios Manousiouthakis, from UCLA's Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department and the Hydrogen Engineering Research Consortium, also participated. You may notice that that last group acronyms down to HERC, and Manousiouthakis compared the task in front of HERC and, by extension, to other groups and companies working on hydrogen fuel cell cars, to Hercules cleaning the Augean stables (i.e., Hercules' fifth labor, AKA a real pain in the butt). But in an upbeat way.

Chris White, from the California Fuel Cell Partnership, explained that when the California Fuel Cell Partnership began a few years ago, hydrogen wasn't the only fuel they looked at. But, after looking at the alternatives, decided that hydrogen was the most efficient way to use a fuel cell. And the future is looking positive.

As always, the most interesting part of the panel came in the Q&A. Attendees wanted to know: What to do with excess carbon in the hydrogen production process? What problems remain to be solved in bringing fuel cell cars to market? Does electrolysis require freshwater or can saltwater be used? And so on.

Listen here.