BMW To Offer Hydrogen Powered Cars
 

I thought this was pretty cool :thumbup:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060912/..._hydrogen_dc_1

Tue Sep 12, 6:33 AM ET

MUNICH (Reuters) - BMW will roll out the world's first hydrogen-burning car in serial production early next year, the German premium automaker said on Tuesday, eager to put its stamp on cars with green credentials.

The specially equipped 7-Series executive cars emit only water vapor when running on hydrogen.

The car hits the market next April and will be shown at the Los Angeles car show in November, the company said. It had said in March the hydrogen cars would arrive within two years.

A spokesman said the car would be leased to selected customers rather than sold because of its high price. Leasing rates would be similar to those for a top-end BMW 760LI with a full-service package.

The BMW 7 Series Hydrogen 7 Saloon is powered by a 260 hp twelve-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.5 seconds. Top speed is limited electronically to 230 km/h.

BMW has said it intends to build a few hundred such cars at first. They will be able to switch between burning standard petrol and hydrogen so that drivers will not be left stranded while the infrastructure to deliver hydrogen is built up.

"The integration of hydrogen drive in an existing vehicle concept which has already proven its merits in the market paves the way for an alternative to conventional drive concepts fully accepted in the market and with all the assets the customer is looking for in practice," BMW said.

The space that two fuel tanks take up means only the 7-Series will offer the hydrogen package at first. BMW's long-term goal is to offer hydrogen motors in all its cars.

BMW unveiled the world's fastest hydrogen-powered car at the 2004 Paris auto show. Dubbed the H2R, it can exceed 300 kilometers (185 miles) per hour and reaches 100 km per hour from a standing start in around six seconds.

While BMW is developing fuel-cell driven cars as well, it says it is concentrating on the combustion engine because the sum total of its features and characteristics offers the largest number of advantages and benefits all in one.

So basically they are just now starting to sell these to the general public right? I mean they were one of the first companies to come up with they hydrogen cars so I was kind of confused over all this new media coverage.

Well ford was first. But BMW is the first to actually 'sell' a series production car.

'Sell' meaning lease...

Nice window dressing and good PR...maybe the next lib/celebrity
noveau-riche version of the Hollywood Have to havit, Prius. :rolleyes:

A quick perusal on Goog, shows a handful of "refueling stations" with
more planned for CA and the LeftCoast:


Arizona Public Service H2 Power Park
435 South 2nd Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85003
U.S.A.
[Map]

Chula Vista Station
1800 Maxwell Road
Chula Vista, CA 91911
U.S.A.
[Map]

Diamond Bar - Pinnacle SCAQMD
21865 East Copley Drive
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
U.S.A.
[Map]

UC Irvine Hydrogen Fueling Station
19172 Jamboree Rd
Irvine, CA 92697
U.S.A.
[Map]

LAX Airport Station
7450 World Way West
Los Angeles, CA 90045
U.S.A.
[Map]

SunLine Station
32505 Harry Oliver Trail
Thousand Palms, CA 92276
U.S.A.
[Map]

Benning Road Station
3355 Benning Road, NE
Washington, DC 20019
U.S.A.
[Map]

National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
U.S.A.
[Map]

DTE Hydrogen Technology Park
27220 Inkster Road
Southfield, MI 48034
U.S.A.
[Map]

City of Las Vegas NW Service Center
2950 Ronemus Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89128
U.S.A.
[Map]

I'll be ordering one..I already have the vanity plate picked out: HINDNBRG.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

9.5 seconds to 100km/h is just plainly embarassing for a flagship car. Especially one with a 12-pot engine.

Instead playing games with hydrogen, they should just introduce the diesel engines from Europe here and that's it.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I'll be ordering one..I already have the vanity plate picked out: HINDNBRG


That is just TFF!!!!!

Diesel is out of BMW's control. Blame our stupid congress for that...

No-one said the H7 would be fast. Its a step in the right direction, unlike other car companies that can't make hydrogen cars because they are too expensive or unfeasible...