Hydrogen Car Shows Up for Oscar Night
2/25/08
Diaz Gets Nod for Most Environmental Attendee
And the Oscar goes to … Cameron Diaz! Wait, what’s that you say? She wasn’t even nominated this year (nor has she ever)? Well, I nominate her and grant her an award based solely on her commitment to the environment. Of course, I might be biased in her favor because we’re around the same age, both are blondes, both are pretty funny and both dated Justin Timberlake. OK, so that last one totally isn’t true; she didn’t date him.
My bias aside, though, Cameron’s body of work in the environmental arena is brilliant. Most exciting to us here at Mother Proof is that she arrived at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony in a BMW Hydrogen 7.
The H7, as I like to call it, is the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan ever made, and it emits almost nothing. That means all those stars in limos and stretch Hummers must have been very embarrassed when they saw the H7 emitting just a little water vapor. How cool is that? I’m kind of having a hard time wrapping my brain around a car that emits only water vapor instead of gas fumes, let alone one that “still features all the amenities and comfort of any other BMW 7 Series,” which is what the good folks at BMW tell me. This car is deluxe and could play a huge role in reducing the nasty CO2 emissions that are polluting our earth. Hot damn, this car sounds perfect for me!
Apparently, BMW has been pimping this car out to all sorts of celeb-types as part of the H7 Pioneer Program. Ed Norton, Will Ferrell, Jay Leno, Brangelina and many others have all hitched rides to various soirees and ceremonies over the past year in an H7. Alas, the H7 isn’t yet on sale to the public, and we’d have no way to fill it up with hydrogen even if it were. Who knows when us plebeians will be able to drive cars like this, but we’ll keep you posted. This one is too good for us to miss out on!
Comments
David – If you really want a hydrogen car, check out GM’s Project Driveway. If you live in an area near a hydrogen fueling station, you might be able to get your hot little hands on one... for a month…
Posted by: Chief Mama | Feb 26, 2008 11:44:14 AM
David, Chief Mama has some good and realistic ideas and I totally agree with you that we all should be driving Hydrogen cars...but my totally unrealistic idea is that maybe if you and I become super duper Hollywood or political celebs we'll get one, so let's get to work!
Posted by: Courtney | Feb 26, 2008 1:00:27 PM
We should also note that Audi of America was also pimping out rides to celebs during Oscar week. An Audi fleet of more than 55 tricked out A8L W12’s and Audi Q7’s toted around the likes of Penelope Cruz and her honey Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and his main squeeze Diane Lane, Ellen Page of Juno, Ben Affleck (hopefully his Jen got to ride with him) and Oscar winner Daniel Day Lewis, among many others.
While none of them were in a Hydrogen-powered ride like Cameron, Access Hollywood’s Maria Menounos did spend Oscar week in a TDI Audi Q7 - pretty cool as it is 30% more fuel efficient and will go into worldwide production November of this year, which means you and I can buy one!
Posted by: Courtney | Feb 26, 2008 1:08:21 PM
While a hydrogen-powered vehicle may be a viable choice someday, today, as well as the next ten to fifteen years will not likely see such vehicles on our roads. First and foremost is, or should be of concern, would be what to do with these vehicles when they are placed in as common a situation as: how rescue authorities may extricate accident victims without risking themselves and others to fire and/or explosion; or what about re-filling training for the average hydrogen car owner-you can't just go to the filling station and self-serve fill as we do today at the gas station. Highly specific care much be undertaken in order to refill these cars. Who's going to pay for the learning seminars which will be needed before ANYONE is allowed near these cars as far as routine maintenance is concerned. When gasoline-powered cars came on the scene beginning in the 1890's, few owners had working knowledge as to what maintenance would be elective or required for the proper function of their vehicles. Granted more of us are familiar with motored vehicles, than in those days, and we still go to experienced service departments or a trusted mechanic to properly care for our vehicles. But all these trained technicians will need more than just a primer on what to do, when and where."Hydrogen-powered" still sounds like science fiction to many people and it probably still will for several years. Hopefully our authorities, in those years, will develop the requisite support infrastructure addressing the concerns I've mentioned here before we all get to celebrate the further greening of our environment.
Posted by: Albert J. Pryor | Apr 22, 2008 1:35:09 AM
There is no reason why we shouldn't be driving Hydrogen powered cars, other than the greed, and contol of the oil companies.
The reason why we don't have nuclear power plants. Battel Northwest developed the nuclear breader program, and the breader reactor was built at Hanford. It was very succesful. It has been shut down, and mothballed.
The nuclear breader technology was sold to France. France is now 90% nuclear powered.
During the seventies Nuclear power plants were being built which would have freed this country from the oil mess we're in now.The big oil concerns lobbied, propagandized all kinds of dangers. Thus the nuclear plants were shut down never completed. Exon bought the nuclear fuel up as fast as they could.
A coal gasification pilot project was buit is North Dakota. This plant squeezed the oil out of coal. This plant was built, and test operated. Even though it produced, it was mothballed.
The small country of Armenia converted 75% of their cars to natural gas, over a three year time span. The conversion is very easy. I guess if you had to pay $6.00 a gallon for fuel you would find a quick solution.
What I'm leading to is this. We have the technology to be independant from the oil squeeze, and as usual; it will be up to us to meet the challenge.
We need to start by electing people to the government who will work for us. We need to send pink slips to all our representatives who do not work for the good of us. We also can help by not being so spoiled.
IT IS UP TO US. WE CAN BE SLAVES OR NOT BE SLAVES! I'M CONVERTING MY PRESENT CAR TO HYDROGEN/GASOLENE. EASY APLICATION. I WILL VOTE , AND, DEMAND GOOD RESULTS FROM MY REPRESENTIVES.
Posted by: james e shaffer | Aug 5, 2008 1:45:42 PM
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That is awesome. I just don't understand though, why is it that only SOME people are driving hydrogen vehicles? Why aren't we ALL driving them?? I'm being totally serious. In Abu Dhabi they just invested $2billion in a hydrogen plant, and they're working to build the world's first "green CITY"; one that gets 100% of it's power from renewable energy.
So why on earth am I stuck driving a car that uses so much as A DROP of petrol?? Isn't it retarded?? Hybrid vehicles aren't the hero - a mere band-aid where surgery is required - HYDROGEN is the hero...so where is my hydrogen car?? ...Wrapped-up in political red-tape & b.s.
Posted by: David Barr | Feb 25, 2008 10:25:46 PM