Wired reports BMW's new Hydrogen 7 Mono-Fuel concept car "actually consumes existing pollution in the ambient air during the combustion process, so what comes out of the tailpipe is actually cleaner than the air passing through the front grille." BMW has been showing a partially-hydrogen powered Hydrogen 7 model to the press since 2006, but that model ran on both hydrogen and gasoline. This new version "runs only on H2, hence the name. The car uses a 6.0-liter internal combustion engine and purportedly 'shares the performance, comfort, and safety qualities of every production BMW 7-series.'" BMW engineers believe hydrogen cars may be a better alternative than electric cars because "a hydrogen car can refuel faster than an electric vehicle can recharge and doesn't tax the existing power grid." Autoblog Green is skeptical of the claim that the new engine cleans the air. "Because air is required for the hydrogen combustion, and there are pollutants already present in the air, at times the exhaust from the BMW is cleaner than the air it took in," they note. But "does that warrant BMW referring to their hydrogen-burner as a 'pollution-consuming internal combustion engine?' Perhaps we're just picking nits, but that sounds a wee bit like greenwashing. It's not like the overall air is cleaner after going through the system, after all." Motor Trend reports, "BMW is quick to point out that the new Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel is not a prototype, but a demonstration production vehicle -- that is, the German automaker is confident that the car is capable of running in private hands on a daily basis, should the hydrogen fueling infrastructure be capable of supporting it. After two years of research with the bi-fuel version, BMW is using the new mono-fuel car to demonstrate the feasibility of an all-hydrogen fueled sedan for the real world." Britain may be the first country to build a hydrogen infrastructure. The London Times reports, "Britain's first hydrogen fuel station will open tomorrow in the first stage of a technology revolution offering drivers the prospect of pollution-free motoring. Another three hydrogen stations are planned for London and there will be at least twelve stations countrywide by 2010, paving the way for the commercial production of cars powered by fuel cells." There are still kinks in the technology that must be resolved before it can become mainstream. The U.K.'s Independent notes one problem: the Hydrogen 7 "needs a huge tank for the (unpressurised) hydrogen, and that tank of fuel can evaporate in as little as 10 days." Some would say the BMW already has a leg up in the green car market. Its 118d with EfficientDynamics was recently named World Green Car of the Year, and a recent road test proved that its 520d outperformed a Toyota Prius in a fuel-mileage challenge. Research the most advanced cars currently on the market with U.S. News' car rankings and reviews.
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