Linde to supply climate-neutral hydrogen for official presentation of
new BMW
Wiesbaden, 14 November 2006 - The technology group Linde will be
supplying climate-neutral hydrogen for the official presentation of
the new BMW Hydrogen 7 in Berlin. With this, Linde not only
underlines its hydrogen logistics competence but also its ambitions
regarding sustainable hydrogen production. Around 300 journalists
will be trying out the new hydrogen-powered BMW at the manufacturer's
international press event in the German capital.
"Climate-neutral hydrogen represents a first step towards
emission-free mobility that is no longer dependent on fossil fuels",
explained Professor Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle, President and CEO of Linde
AG. The climate neutrality of the liquid hydrogen is guaranteed
thanks to the acquisition of CO2 certificates. The principle of
compensating emissions by means of certificates from a climate
protection project was assessed by the TÜV SÜD technical service
group, who granted the quality mark accordingly. Linde's strategic
objective is to considerably increase the proportion of sustainably
generated hydrogen in the long term. Linde will soon be in a position
to meet the needs of all test fleets in Europe using sustainable
production methods, thanks in particular to the results of
biomass-to-hydrogen (BTH) projects.
The traiLH2TM, a mobile hydrogen refueling unit, will provide part of
the fuel required during the press event. Its 1,000-liter hydrogen
dewar vessel and independent electricity supply via an on-board fuel
cell make the traiLH2TM ideal for flexible fuel supply. The rest of
the BMWs will be refueled at the TOTAL filling station on Berlin's
Heerstrasse. Both this filling station and three other mobile
dispensers feature refueling technology developed by Linde, as well
as Linde hydrogen. Around 30,000 liters of the cryogenic,
emission-free fuel will be required over the course of the three-week
event. It will be supplied by what is at present Germany's only
hydrogen liquefaction plant, which is operated by Linde in Ingolstadt
(Bavaria).
Liquid hydrogen (LH2) offers a number of advantages due to the
substantially higher energy density compared to compressed gaseous
hydrogen (CGH2). The higher energy density means that the energy
saved during the transportation of the hydrogen from the production
site to the filling station outweighs the energy required during the
liquefaction process. The storage volume required at the filling
station is considerably lower, giving LH2-powered vehicles like the
BMW Hydrogen 7 a greater cruising range.
Linde will also be the exclusive global hydrogen supplier for BMW's
drive events, which are to run under the motto "Drive for the
Future", on the basis of a long-term partnership. Both companies are
also forging ahead with the establishment of a blanket hydrogen
infrastructure together with other partners, mainly from the
automotive and mineral oil industries. Linde has equipped over 40
filling stations worldwide, making it the leading provider of
hydrogen refueling technology.
The Linde Group is a world leading industrial gases and engineering
company with more than 53,000 employees working in around 70
countries worldwide. Following the acquisition of The BOC Group the
company has gases and engineering sales of approximately 12 billion
euro. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards
earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its
international business with forward-looking products and services.
For more information, please see The Linde Group online at
http://www.linde.com
For further information:
Press
Stefan Metz
Tel.: +49.611.770-487
Investor Relations
Thomas Eisenlohr
Tel.: +49.611.770-610
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