No Free (Energy) Lunches

Note to Brad Pitt: take the bus back next time.

From AutoblogGreen:
Brad Pitt thinks BMW's Hydrogen 7 is perfect for Ocean's 13 premiere
Posted Jun 6th 2007 1:39PM by Sebastian Blanco

At the premiere of Ocean's 13 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre last night, Brad Pitt arrived in a BMW Hydrogen 7. Our source didn't say if Angelina Jolie arrived in a different vehicle, but if you want oodles more photos from the event (both Brad and Angelina were there), here's IESB's gratuitous photo gallery with all the stars.
BMW is getting a lot of publicity out of the Hydrogen 7s they've got in America.
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Here's the real scoop on the environmental efficacy of the vehicle from Spiegel:

BMW'S HYDROGEN 7
Not as Green as it Seems
By Christian Wüst
BMW is manufacturing the first series of hydrogen fueled cars. They're not as green as they seem. For a start, they're incredibly thirsty -- and they will put more strain on the environment than a heavy diesel truck.
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The problem is that hydrogen is in scarce supply and producing it requires vast amounts of energy. Climate-friendly production of liquid hydrogen on a large scale presupposes a virtually unlimited supply of ecologically produced electricity -- not something likely to materialize in the near future. That's why energy experts from the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy believe forcing the transition to a hydrogen-based economy within the next three to four decades is "not an ecologically sound" idea.

Storing the volatile energy source also requires energy and money. The only method that promises a reasonable storage life is liquid storage at temperatures below -253 degrees Celsius (-423 degrees Fahrenheit). The process of cooling the storage facility down to such a low temperature alone uses up to one-third of the energy contained in one fuel tank.
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And so, in creating the Hydrogen 7, BMW is announcing a future of putatively clean, full-throttle driving. The new car caters to the pleasing fantasy of customers spoiled by high-horsepower engines: That they can conform to ecological standards without making any sacrifices, burning "clean" fuel to their heart's content. Advertizing images display the Hydrogen 7 against a backdrop of wind turbines and solar panels.

But the image is one of deceit. Because the hydrogen dispensed at the new filling station is generated primarily from petroleum and natural gas, the new car puts about as much strain on the environment as a heavy truck with a diesel engine. Add the loss of environmental benefits involved in the production and transportation of the putatively clean fuel to the consumption of the car itself and you get an actual consumption corresponding to considerably more than 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of fossil fuel.

The environment isn't the only loser: Customers will also have to shell out a lot of money for their deceptive display of ecologically responsible driving. The current standard price for liquid hydrogen is 57 euro cents (0.73 US cents) per liter (0.3 gallons). And the price tag on a 100 kilometer (62 mile) drive in the Hydrogen 7, at a comfortable speed, is about €30 ($38).
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