BMW Hydrogen 7 Ready for Daily Use

Yesterday, BMW announced its hydrogen-powered 7 Series sedan would be loaned out to everyday drivers to test the new technology’s real-world abilities. Other companies, like Honda, have done pilot programs with their hydrogen-powered vehicles, but with extremely limited testing of one or two cars. BMW will loan a fleet of 100 Hydrogen 7s to prospective users in the U.S. and Europe in the first half of 2007. 

According to BMW spokesman Andreas Klugescheid, the company will loan the Hydrogen 7 for a few weeks up to a few months to test both the technical aspects of the car and the habits of its drivers. The catch? BMW has already compiled a list of potential recipients of the Hydrogen 7 who not only would be good test subjects but would also put a spotlight on the hydrogen sedan itself. They also have to live near hydrogen fueling stations, and there are only a handful of those in the U.S. — mostly in California and Washington, D.C. We’re thinking celebrities and politicians too.

That means there isn’t much chance a current BMW owner will be able to request a Hydrogen 7. However, BMW is touting the fact that this hydrogen-powered 7 Series is built just like any other product, right alongside other 5 and 7 Series cars in Germany, so more could be produced rather easily. The V-12 engine can run on either hydrogen or gasoline and has separate tanks for each. It has a range of 425 miles when both tanks are full. Running on just water-vapor-producing hydrogen, the car can only manage 125 miles. BMW hopes that being at the forefront of hydrogen technology will cement it as “the ultimate fuel” leader. With 100 Hydrogen 7s on the road, we'll all be keeping an eye on the results.

Related:
Road Testing BMW’s Hydrogen 7 [Wired.com via Jalopnik]
BMW Readies Hydrogen 7 Series for 2007 [internal]

Comments

[Zerf]

Way to go BMW! I have heard talk from Honda and GM but this is the most real and largest example I have heard of yet. Impressive to be able to run off either fuel. Hope to see more postings on this car. What about refuel stations? Safety in a crash? etc...

[sum dude]

Think about it, in a bad enough crash gas can explode. It'll take about as bad a crash to get hydrogen in a car to explode, so its not like we'll be driving mini-hindenburgs. Plus, the hydrogen tanks or fuel cells will probably be more protected then normal gas tanks, if they aren't then the automakers should do it. With either gas or hydrogen we or we will drive explosive vehicles. (i dont know if that made sense btw)

[Dave T.]

Supposedly hydrogen used in vehicles is as combustible as regular gasoline.

[Lil'Tom]

sum dude, Gasoline is a fast-burning liquid. It won't explode in a bad crash; it will combust. I'm sorry, I'm an engineer I can't let stuff like that go.

In a bad enough crash gasoline can leak out and ignite (VERY rare); potentially engulfing the car in flames. Hydrogen is a gas that's considerably lighter than air, so if the fuel line is broken open it would quickly escape into the atmosphere. If ignited it would be similar to a propane torch that's fully opened. That's probably safer than a gasoline fire unless flames are shooting into the cabin. I don't think hydrogen flames are visible in daylight so it's still very dangerous. The big problem is when the fire spreads.

[Jacek]

I can't imagine how unreliable the car will be considering BMW has been unable to keep any of my last three out of their service bays for more than three months. If I didn't get a sizable manufacturers discount I would buy a Lexus in a heartbeat. As my boss recently said, at least their not as bad as the Volvo's we used to get stuck with.