BMW Hydrogen 7 Reaches Epic Milestone
August 1, 2007 by George Skentzos
BMW are still leading the way in alternatively fueled cars with their fleet of 100 BMW Hydrogen 7 limousines racking up over 2 million kilometres.
BMW’s 12-Cylinder Hydrogen Combustion Engine
These limo’s have been used to pioneer the environmentally friendly hydrogen powered engines developed by BMW.
They are scattered around the world in the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, China and France and are used by everyone from politicians to Hollywood A-lister’s.
The very first Hydrogen 7 went to German Federal Minister for Economy and Technology, Michael Glos who spoke with enthusiasm about the handover.
“BMW demonstrates how the German automotive industry is pressing ahead with methods of resolution to ensure the sustainable mobility of tomorrow”
However he was only the first of numerous public identities to use these hydrogen powered limos. Other prominent personalities who have been handed the keys include Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who enjoyed a taste of Hydrogen 7 power at the “Ocean’s Thirteen” premiere; Richard Gere and Sharon Stone arrived in style at the Cinema for Peace Gala in Berlin; and recently the CEO of Linde AG, Wolfgang Reitzle, received his new BMW Hydrogen 7 company car.
Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London receives a BMW Hydrogen 7 from John Hollis, BMW’s Head of Government and Industrial Affairs
Christoph Huss, the head of Science and Transport Policy of the BMW Group is satisfied with the first BMW Hydrogen 7 handovers.
“The positive response of our first customers undoubtedly supports the fact that we are on the right course with the concept of the BMW Hydrogen 7 which uses a hydrogen internal combustion engine,”
The BMW Group is forging ahead with hydrogen technology. The group has been actively pursuing the concept of sustainable mobility for more than two decades. Petrol is expected to be replaced by hydrogen as a source of energy in the long term.
Print it: 
I’d be curious for some specs on this beasty, and to hear what a V12 Hydrogen powered engine actually sounds like.
Matt GIYF – Google is your friend. in this day and age, the cure for curiosity exists in 3 sites.
See it – Google.
Watch It/Hear it – Youtube
Learn about it – Wikipedia.
This one’s a job for Youtube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n04gWzhWwqg
If that’s the sound of a Hydrogen V12, I’m converted.
A quick search of Wiki reveals some “facts”… The car is powered by a 260 kW, 12-cylinder engine. Top speed is limited to 229 km/h and 0 – 100km/h (62mph) is 9.5 seconds. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Hydrogen_7)
So a brief search will end all your questions!
Either way, it has benefits in that combustion engine technology is not lost altogether, engines still sound similar and quite sporty in this case, and the risk of silent electric cars requiring electronic beepers to warn pedestrians is also minimised. Who else but BMW to back the technology that looks like it’d still excite interested drivers! I firmly believe that once hydrogen gets through the immense barriers it faces with infrastructure (and converting the planet’s hideously profitable petrol industry) that it’d provide a strong case for itself.
Just another proposed solution in the race to see who can reinvent the wheel… or the combustion engine!
Hybrids are more of a bridge between outright electric cars or hydrogen cars or whatever the next big global thing is.
^
Yeah exactly…. there is so limited information released; I wanna hear about their power, torque and yeah even the sound (Although I have heard that they are very quiet so people expecting a grumble of a V8 would be disappointed)
Thanks Matthew – love it.
You’re right too, I drove a Lexus hybrid some months back and the tendancy for it to ’sneak up’ on people was a tad disconcerting.
The car emits nothing but water vapor and is not for sale. Some argue that using hydrogen as a fuel is silly because it actually consumes more energy than it produces but the opposite argument is that over time this should change.
PAUL NOISE NEVER MADE HORSE POWER WAITE A FEW YEARS TRUST BMW THEY KNOW
Do they ever Murray……best engine builders in the world!