2009 BMW Hydrogen 7

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability

Safety - What the Auto Press Says

As the Hydrogen 7 is an experimental car existing only in a small demonstration fleet, neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety nor the federal government have ever been given the opportunity to crash test the car.  The BMW 7-Series it is based on has not been crash-tested, either.

The Hydrogen 7 boasts all of the safety equipment found on the 7-Series, including front airbags for driver and passenger, side airbags in both front and rear rows of seating, and BMW's unique cylindrical head-protection airbags.  Stability and Traction control are also standard.

However, the car's use of hydrogen as a fuel source presents unique safety challenges.  Some safety agencies expressed concerns about the explosive nature of hydrogen -- the Port Authority of New York famously told the company the cars could not enter the Lincoln Tunnel.  But BMW insists the fuel is safe, and significant safety advances have been added to the car to ensure that its fuel source does not create a safety risk.

• "BMW has intricate systems for managing pressure in the H-7's hydrogen tank and safely handling any bleed-off. It has rigorously tested the crashworthiness of the tank, and even studied its susceptibility to gunfire. Engineers point out that, even if the worst happens, lighter-than-air hydrogen escapes upward and rapidly dissipates rather than splashing downward on everything the way burning gasoline does." -- Edmunds
• "So while BMW designed the Hydrogen 7 to be as explosion-resistant as any gasoline car, memories of the Hindenburg zeppelin cause misunderstandings among consumers and bureaucrats, a company spokesman acknowledged. Redundant safety systems abound. If the pressure inside the tank rises too high, a vent in the roof can release gaseous hydrogen directly. And if the car happened to roll over and block the roof opening, hydrogen would reroute through the underbody. A hydrogen detection system makes the car's four door locks glow red to warn of leaking fuel in the trunk, fuel nozzle area or under the hood; windows automatically open if hydrogen should enter the cabin." -- New York Times