2009 BMW Hydrogen 7
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BMW Hydrogen 7 - What the Auto Press Says
BMW has built a unique fleet of research vehicles designed to prove that high-end luxury and zero-emissions motoring can co-exist.
The Hydrogen 7, based on the previous generation of BMW's flagship 760li long-wheelbase sedan, is the only production vehicle in the world that can operate on either gasoline or hydrogen - and when burning hydrogen, it emits only water vapor. In fact, some tests have shown that air leaving the tailpipe of the car is actually cleaner than the air that enters the engine in the first place.
BMW has built only 100 examples of the Hydrogen 7. The company has kept several examples for internal research, sent a few on the auto show circuit and for journalists to test, and leased some to high-profile figures in both business and entertainment in the United States and Germany. For now, no further production plans have been announced. But the company says that development is ongoing and the vehicle could be mass-produced at a future date.
Mechanically, the Hydrogen 7 is completely unique. While other manufacturers have built hydrogen fuel-cell cars that use hydrogen to create the energy that powers an electric motor, BMW's car actually combusts liquid hydrogen directly in an internal combustion engine. It uses the same V12 engine to burn gasoline and hydrogen, carrying one fuel tank for each - which compromises both trunk space and passenger space, but gives drivers the flexibility to use clean-burning hydrogen when they can find it and gasoline when far from a hydrogen refueling station.
The Hydrogen 7 is built on the 2007 BMW 7-Series platform. The Hydrogen 7 is clearly marked as an experimental hydrogen-powered car through labels painted on the outside of the car, but is otherwise indistinguishable from an ordinary 7-Series - repaint it, and no one would know it was not a conventionally-powered car. Inside, space given to the dual fuel tanks forced BMW to convert the five-seat 7-Series to a four-seat layout, but the vehicle is every bit as luxurious as BMW's flagship super-luxury sedan.
- "The Hydrogen 7 is a sign that a green future certainly won't be a dull future." -- Car and Driver
- "If no one told you there was a fortune in advanced technology and ground-breaking engineering packed into this car, you might think you were motoring about in a perfectly normal 760Li." -- Edmunds
- "BMW does agree with the chicken-and-egg argument of fuel-cell proponents: if energy companies or the government won't jump-start the hydrogen infrastructure, the cars must come first." -- New York Times
- "Given that even the limited production run that will roll out of BMW's Bavarian...will not be sold on the open market, it's still just a (beautifully designed) toy." -- BusinessWeek
Hydrogen-7 Performance - NA
The Hydrogen 7 offers the same world-renowned handling balance as the 7-Series car it is based on, but its powertrain is completely unique. It does not replicate the driving experience of a traditional 7. The H7 cannot accelerate with the thrust expected of a normal BMW - in fact, BMW engineers have dialed-back the engine's power when running on gasoline so that drivers don't detect a difference when switching between fuels. While the car may accelerate more gradually than other 7-Series cars, it does match the acceleration of more moderately-priced cars. Read More
Hydrogen-7 Exterior - NA
The exterior of the BMW 7-Series was not modified when the car was converted to build the Hydrogen 7. All Hydrogen 7 models currently in operation feature unique paint advertising the vehicle's power source, but are otherwise indistinguishable from the conventional 7-Series of 2007. The conventional gasoline-powered 7-Series, however, was completely redesigned for 2009. Read More
Hydrogen-7 Interior - NA
The passenger cabin of the BMW Hydrogen 7 differs somewhat from that of its conventionally-powered cousin. The H7 uses two reclining bucket seats in back, rather than the three-seat bench found in the traditional 7. Its trunk is significantly smaller. Both are compromises forced by the dual fuel tanks built into the H7. Other than that, the car is identical to the 2007 BMW 7-Series - always one of the most luxurious cars on the road. Read More
Hydrogen-7 Safety - NA
Because of the vehicle's experimental status and extremely limited production run, no Hydrogen 7 has been crash tested by the federal government or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Hydrogen 7's unique fuel source has ignited some controversy - the Port Authority of New York, for instance, has banned the cars from travelling through the Lincoln Tunnel for fear of an explosion. But the manufacturer insists the vehicle is every bit as safe as a gasoline-powered car, if not safer. Significant new safety innovations have been built into the H7. Read More
Hydrogen-7 Reliability - NA
The Hydrogen 7 is a limited-run, experimental car. As a result, BMW performs all maintenance free of charge for those invited to lease the vehicle. No reliability data is available. Read More