The BMW Hydrogen 7: Liquid Hydrogen Luxury

By James Smith

The BMW Hydrogen 7 is the German automaker's first passenger vehicle to run on both conventional gasoline and liquid hydrogen. Part of BMW's new "7" series, the Hydrogen 7 is being marketed by BMW as the world's first hydrogen-drive luxury vehicle.

The Hydrogen 7 will be a limited series, and only sold or leased to a select group of celebrities, politicians and other influential BMW enthusiasts. With zero to 60 acceleration in just over nine seconds, the Hydrogen 7 is also a performance car. Its 12 cylinder engine is capable of 260 hp, and will run on both standard unleaded gas and hydrogen, giving the car a range of over 400 miles when both the gas and hydrogen tanks are completely full.

The hydrogen tank is located in the trunk of the car and has a maximum capacity of 17.6 pounds of liquid hydrogen. This gives the Hydrogen 7 a range of just over 125 miles when running on hydrogen alone.

The gasoline mode allows an additional 300 miles, and when refueling, the driver can decide whether to fill up with gasoline, liquid hydrogen, or both. The engine's power and torque remain the same, regardless of the fuel being used, and the transition between gasoline and hydrogen modes is virtually unnoticeable.

But the real breakthrough of the BMW Hydrogen 7 is in its drastically reduced CO2 emissions. While operating in hydrogen mode, the Hydrogen 7 emits only a water-like vapor, making it one of the cleanness "green" vehicles available.

Comfort wise, the BMW Hydrogen 7 enjoys the same high standard as other high-end BMW vehicles. The four-seater comes standard with BMW's climate comfort composite glazing, heated front and rear seats, electronically adjustable front seating with memory function, rain sensors, soft close automatic doors and a high-end entertainment and communication system including support for MP3 players.

With high-end luxury amenities and a sleek, aerodynamic design, the Hydrogen 7 represents the best of BMW luxury and comfort. Performance is also impressive, especially considering that the Hydrogen 7 is a "green" vehicle. Handling and acceleration are as good as any BMW on the road today, and that's saying something.

BMW has freely admitted that the Hydrogen 7 is not designed for mass consumption. In fact, the company states that the vehicle is more of a marketing exercise to promote the possibilities of sustainable vehicles. With the new hydrogen 7 being offered (on a lease basis) to Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and countless A-list Hollywood celebrities, it's clear that the purpose of the Hydrogen 7 is to shift awareness, not turn a profit.

The Hydrogen 7 is a part of the new BMW CleanEnergy strategy. In effect, BMW is making a statement and laying down a challenge to other automakers. As the BMW Hydrogen 7 clearly shows, a clean luxury hydrogen vehicle doesn't have too be a pipe dream or concept car.

Whether other automakers will take up BMW's challenge and begin producing their own liquid hydrogen vehicles remains to be seen. While the Hydrogen 7 proves that the technology is there to create practical liquid hydrogen vehicles with virtually no CO2 emissions, for the time being, the cost of this technology will remain prohibitive for most average car buyers.