BMW Hydrogen 7 (2006) CAR review

That’s not a green car. It’s a dirty great limo…

Yes, it’s a long-wheelbase BMW 7-series with a 6-litre V12 engine. But it runs on liquid hydrogen as well as petrol, emitting virtually no CO2 when it’s burning H2. As hydrogen is one of nature’s most abundant elements, we’re not about to run out. And it’s a proper car: 0-60mph in 9.5 sec, 143mph and a combined range of 435 miles. Nor is it a one-off prototype; engineered and tested to BMW’s usual standards, deliveries start in Spring next year.

I’ll buy one.

You can’t. BMW won’t divulge how much one of these costs to make, but you can bet it’s many times the cost even of the 760Li it’s based on. Instead, it will loan the 100 cars it plans to make to politicians and the prominent to help get hydrogen onto the agenda. BMW’s corporate view is that burning hydrogen in internal combustion engines is our best bet for when the oil runs out, in opposition to those who back fuel cells or battery-powered vehicles.