Yesterday, BMW announced its hydrogen-powered 7 Series sedan would beloaned out to everyday drivers to test the new technology’s real-worldabilities. Other companies, like Honda, have done pilot programs withtheir hydrogen-powered vehicles, but with extremely limited testing ofone or two cars. BMW will loan a fleet of 100 Hydrogen 7s toprospective users in the U.S. and Europe in the first half of 2007.
According to BMW spokesman Andreas Klugescheid, the company will loanthe Hydrogen 7 for a few weeks up to a few months to test both thetechnical aspects of the car and the habits of its drivers. The catch?BMW has already compiled a list of potential recipients of the Hydrogen7 who not only would be good test subjects but would also put aspotlight on the hydrogen sedan itself. They also have to live nearhydrogen fueling stations, and there are only a handful of those in theU.S. — mostly in California and Washington, D.C. We’re thinkingcelebrities and politicians too.
That means there isn’t much chance a current BMW owner will be able torequest a Hydrogen 7. However, BMW is touting the fact that thishydrogen-powered 7 Series is built just like any other product, rightalongside other 5 and 7 Series cars in Germany, so more could beproduced rather easily. The V-12 engine can run on either hydrogen orgasoline and has separate tanks for each. It has a range of 425 mileswhen both tanks are full. Running on just water-vapor-producinghydrogen, the car can only manage 125 miles. BMW hopes that being atthe forefront of hydrogen technology will cement it as “the ultimatefuel” leader. With 100 Hydrogen 7s on the road, we'll all be keeping aneye on the results.
Related:
Road Testing BMW’s Hydrogen 7 [Wired.com via Jalopnik]
BMW Readies Hydrogen 7 Series for 2007 [internal]
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