BMW pilots hydrogen-capable burners at Leipzig plant

BMW on October 20 said its Leipzig plant in Germany is the first car plant in the world to pilot a newly developed burner technology that can operate on green hydrogen as well as natural gas.

The Leipzig plant has launched the first fuel-flexible hydrogen-capable burner for paint dryers. The special feature of the system is that it can run on hydrogen, methane or a mixture of the two, the company said. It can also switch between fuels while in operation.

Initially, it will run in trial operations. The burner system was developed in collaboration with the Bremen-based company Saacke, and with the Fraunhofer Institute IFF in Magdeburg supporting the integration of the safety concept.

To run hydrogen throughout, a pipeline will be needed to ensure sufficient quantities of green hydrogen are available at all times. The Leipzig plant has the opportunity to use a hydrogen network created in the region for this purpose, BMW said.

BMW said it is also working with its partners to trial hydrogen-powered solutions to support the decarbonisation of transport logistics beyond the factory gates as well and is currently involved in the H2HAUL and HyCET research projects.

The H2HAUL project in Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland is working to develop and pilot 16 hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks and install new, high-capacity filling stations for reliable fuel supplies. Launched in 2019, H2HAUL will run for five years, with Germany contributing by trialling two fuel-cell trucks for transportation between Plant Leipzig and Nuremberg.

On the HyCET project, BMW is leading a consortium to advance the development and testing of trucks with hydrogen combustion engines in transport logistics.