Hydrogen7 on the road Down Under

BMW's future is here -- and driving on Australian roads. The choice of the Governator, California's head honcho Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as a bevy of high-profile celebrities with a green tinge, the Bavarian marque's Hydrogen7 is currently being shown to (and driven by) motoring and other media Down Under.

Effectively a conventional spark-ignition engine but fuelled with liquid hydrogen, the Hydrogen7 is, as the name suggests, based on a BMW 7 Series luxury sedan -- in particular, the top of the range 760iL model.

It is presented as a proof of concept vehicle and will not go into series production, although BMW has built 100 examples for use around the globe. Ten of the 7s will act as official cars during the upcoming Beijing Olympics, for example.

Above all, the car is a demonstration of the feasibility of adapting conventional automotive drivetrains to run in a zero or near-zero emission environment and without the reliance on fossil fuels.

When running on liquid hydrogen, the Hydrogen7's conventional 6.0-litre V12 produces around 190kW and emits less than 1 percent of the allowable hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide and less than 10 per cent of the allowable oxides of nitrogen emissions legislated under the USA's upcoming, super strict SULEV II emission code.

With the emissions largely limited to oxygen and water, the Hydrogen7 effectively 'cleans' the inner city air when running. No carbon dioxide is emitted in the engine's combustion process.

The Hydrogen7 can deliver a hydrogen-only range of around 200km, says BMW. Its heavily insulated hydrogen storage tank holds around 8kg of the fuel at a remarkable minus 250 degrees C.

Like conventional LPG-adapted vehicles, the Hydrogen7 is dual-fuel and can be switched to run on conventional unleaded petrol via a steering-wheel mounted switch. A handy factor, given the closest commercially available liquid hydrogen to Australian consumers is in China!

Australian Planet Ark co-founder, Jon Dee, officially launched the car's Australian 'tour' early this week in Melbourne where BMW has staged a special exhibition. Situated at Federation Square in Melbourne's CBD, the exhibition is free to the public and will be open until January 28.

"Research shows that Australians are extremely concerned about the impact climate change will have on Australia's kids and the environment. That's why car companies must play a leading role in developing alternative modes of transport that eliminates our reliance on petrol," Dee told the assembled media and guest on Wednesday night's official launch.

"This BMW car is a great example of the potential of emissions-free motoring. Together with electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered cars are the way of the future and it is crucial that government, industry and car manufacturers work together to speed up the move away from petrol-powered vehicles," he opined.

For more information on the Hydrogen7 tour click here. And look for our drive impressions soon.