The BMW press event was possibly the fanciest I've seen. The X-5 which I couldn't care less about, has slightly better fuel economy than it used to, but they've made it bigger, meaning that the technological advancements could, in fact, have made it significantly more fuel efficient.

But the real news was the unveiling of the Hydrogen 7, a liquid hydrogen combustion vehicle that can also run on gasoline. The vehicle has serious limitations, of course. The hydrogen tank will only take the car 125 miles, while the gasoline tank will take it 300 miles. Plus, the car isn't really for the mass market at all. A hundred of them will be distributed across the country, fifty of them in the LA area.

The Hydrogen 7, just like all the hydrogen powered vehicles being showcased at the LA Auto Show, is waiting for the future. The infrastructure isn't there, the methods of producing cheap hydrogen aren't there. We're just gonna have to wait. But, in the future, a car that can seamlessly transition between multiple types of fuel could be very important to the widespread adoption of alternative fuels.

Comments (10)

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Look ordinary
written by marchisi , August 03, 2007

I believe that buyers want to be noticed for their ecological efforts and the design does not make a statement or stand out from the pack at all. Unless of course they left the giant letters on the side. Uh no. Make it look unique.

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written by Ratenkredit , October 13, 2007

excellent!

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The Problem is...
written by Dragonfire , January 02, 2008

The view taken by the masses is still one of mass consumption. If there were a shift in thinking about your car like you think about your cellphone you'd plug it in at night... so why not have a home based hydrogen production tool comprising a solar panel & wind turbine producing H2 in your backyard by electrolysis. yes you'd need filling stations still... but the brunt of users could fill their cars from their faucet. The revolution is coming...

EE
written by MikeDC , February 11, 2008

There was a previous post on EcoGeek about the REEV concept similar to diesel trains. I'm more of a fan of that design. Electric vehicle where the electricity production can come from any fuel source. The future is about modularity. It might be less efficient than a direct drive because of power loss due to conversion of one energy source to another, but so is our power grid system!

A prototype at best.
written by Caleb , March 24, 2008

I've read a bit on the H7 and it is only a demonstrator of what may be possible. For one thing liquid hydrogen is not very stable. I don't mean in a Hindenburg sense. It is constantly leaking from the car. You have to fill the tank every day, and make sure it is parked in a well ventilated area. My hopes are high for a future with hydrogen. I think that it may just the avenue that we should travel. Once it is more efficient to produce. Build Hydrogen Generator Cell With Household Items - Watch more amazing videos here

Hydrogen from the Deserts
written by Uncle B , April 12, 2008

There are a number of solar projects utilizing Desert Sun to make hot water and electricity in the works. A storable secondary fuel source for these folks, if not their 'raison d'etre' is hydrogen for BMW's piston engine (high heat losses) antique and the much more efficient fuel cell electrics. The market and the fuel sources are coming together faster than OPEC et al., ever anticipated, and possible in irreversible fashion due to the benzine molecule/cancer relationship and its publicity.

Hydrogen = Oil Company Profits
written by ErikL , May 27, 2008

The only advantage hydrogen has is that it gives the oil companies something to monopolize and sell at their gas stations once the oil runs out.
I vote for battery powered transport to be the best option, you can re-charge at home, battery technologies are leaping forward with demand and so are electric motors. Best of all, nobody can force you to recharge at a service station at artificially high prices. Even with today's technology it is feasible to use solar set-up to store the power and simply swap flat batteries for full ones when you get home. I suspect that eco-diesel, ethanol and hydrogen are being pushed by by oil companies as replacement options for for fossil based fuels so they can continue to manipulate the market through their chains of filling stations.

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written by Cliff , August 09, 2008

have you heard nothing about the idea of point-of-use hydrogen production? Stored battery power produces hydrogen/oxygen in a perfect stoichiometric mix to power the gas or diesel engine. The advantages are many -- no need to store the hydrogen being the most significant. Hundreds of YouTube videos by people working on solving the problems. Check out HHO or Hydrogen injection.

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written by joeAnne , October 03, 2008

I've seen such a car when I went on a trip with Greek Island Cruises a year ago. Indeed it is that beautiful that I've fallen in love with her. I hope that I will get to drive such a car one day!

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