BMW’s Hydrogen 7 is getting considerable public exposure in the UK on Tuesday (5 June) as three take part in the Revolve Brighton to London rally for low and zero-emission cars.
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Starting on Madeira Drive in Brighton, the fleet of Hydrogen 7s are following a pre-planned route ending at Trafalgar Square in London.
During the event, royalty (Prince Charles), government ministers, the deputy mayor of London Nicky Gavron and a number of other dignitaries will be introduced to the world’s first hydrogen-powered emissions-free luxury saloon car.
Following the rally, the 7 will be part of a display of the participating cars at the Science Museum.
BMW group head of government and industrial affairs, John Hollis, said: “Zero emission motoring is no longer a dream and this car proves the technology isn’t as far away as some sceptics may think.
“We want to kick-start the debate about the future of personal mobility and the importance of hydrogen as the definitive fuel. The opinions of politicians and other influencers are important in driving this forward to ensure that hydrogen-power comes to fruition as soon as possible.”
The Hydrogen 7 is based on the production 7 series and has a ‘bivalent’ internal combustion engine capable of running on hydrogen or petrol. In hydrogen mode the car emits nothing more than water vapour. The 260hp 12-cylinder engine accelerates the car from zero to 62mph (aookm/h) in 9.5 seconds before going on to an electronically-limited 143mph top speed.
The driver can between hydrogen and conventional petrol power at the press of a steering wheel-mounted button. The dual power technology means the car has a cruising range in excess of 125 miles in the hydrogen mode with a further 300 miles under petrol power. It has a conventional 74-litre petrol tank and an additional hydrogen fuel tank holding up to 8kgs of liquid hydrogen, stored at minus 253 degrees Celsius.
A customised filling station has been constructed in Wembley (north London) to support BMW’s plans.
BMW insists the Hydrogen 7 is a full production ready vehicle, which has met the same stringent processes and final sign-off criteria as its current production models.
