MUNICH - Eager to put its stamp on cars with green credentials, BMW announced Tuesday that it will roll out the world’s first hydrogen-burning car in serial production early next year.Dubbed the Hydrogen 7, the specially equipped 7-Series executive cars emit only water vapor when running on hydrogen.
The car hits the market next April and will be shown at the Los Angeles car show in November, BMW said. It had said in March that the hydrogen cars would arrive within two years.A spokesman said the car would be leased to selected customers rather than sold because of its high price.
The Hydrogen 7 is powered by a 260 horsepower, 12-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 9.5 seconds. The top speed is limited electronically to 140 mph.BMW has said it intends to build a few hundred such cars at first. They will be able to switch between burning standard gasoline and hydrogen so that drivers will not be left stranded while the infrastructure to deliver hydrogen is built up.
That means both hydrogen and gasoline tanks — the former allowing a 125-mile driving range and the latter 300 miles. Drivers can switch back and forth with a button on the steering wheel.
"Because engine power and torque remain exactly the same regardless of the mode of operation," BMW said, "switching from one mode to another has no effect on the driving behavior and performance of the BMW Hydrogen 7."
The car hits the market next April and will be shown at the Los Angeles car show in November, BMW said. It had said in March that the hydrogen cars would arrive within two years.A spokesman said the car would be leased to selected customers rather than sold because of its high price.
The Hydrogen 7 is powered by a 260 horsepower, 12-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 9.5 seconds. The top speed is limited electronically to 140 mph.BMW has said it intends to build a few hundred such cars at first. They will be able to switch between burning standard gasoline and hydrogen so that drivers will not be left stranded while the infrastructure to deliver hydrogen is built up.
That means both hydrogen and gasoline tanks — the former allowing a 125-mile driving range and the latter 300 miles. Drivers can switch back and forth with a button on the steering wheel.
"Because engine power and torque remain exactly the same regardless of the mode of operation," BMW said, "switching from one mode to another has no effect on the driving behavior and performance of the BMW Hydrogen 7."
