The ground-breaking BMW Hydrogen 7 car was presented to Deputy Mayor of London and London Hydrogen Partnership Chair, Nicky Gavron, at City Hall yesterday to raise awareness of hydrogen as an alternative energy source for tomorrow's consumers.
BMW's Head of Government and Industrial Affairs, John Hollis, handed over the BMW Hydrogen 7 for the use of the Deputy Mayor. The car is part of BMW's initiative to encourage debate around the role of hydrogen in the economy. For the next two months, cars will be evaluated in the UK by business leaders and opinion formers.
John Hollis said: "BMW is a pioneer in the development and use of hydrogen as a fuel source and shares the vision of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor that London should be one of the world centers for Hydrogen. In recognition of the work the Mayor's Office has done in this field, BMW would like it to be the first public organization in the country to have the use of a Hydrogen 7 car."
The BMW Hydrogen 7 is based on the existing 7 Series and comes equipped with an internal combustion engine capable of running on hydrogen or petrol. In hydrogen mode the car emits nothing more than water vapor. Powered by a 260hp 12-cylinder engine, the Hydrogen 7 accelerates from zero to 62mph in 9.5 seconds before going on to an electronically-limited 143mph top speed.
100 Hydrogen 7 cars have been built for worldwide evaluation with six cars in the UK over the summer.
BMW is attempting to make an impact in the UK as well as the rest of the world with this alternative source. They are directly going head to head against the hybrid formula as well as diesel technology. Hydrogen sounds like a great concept but our main question is will it be able to get off its feet and really become something more than just an idea.
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