(Tue 14 Nov 06)

BMW has begun production of a very special limited-edition 7-Series which will become the world's first luxury car fuelled by hydrogen. The Hydrogen 7 will make its public debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show on November 28, and will go on to be "offered to selected users" in 2007.

What happens if one of these selected users runs out of gas before reaching a hydrogen supplier? No problem, because the Hydrogen 7 is a dual-fuel car, capable of running on regular petrol. A conventional 74-litre tank is used for carrying this, and it gives the 7 a range of around 300 miles. The hydrogen tank, which keeps the gas at pressures of up to 5 bar and a temperature of minus 250 degrees C, holds 8kg and provides a further range of about 125 miles.

The good thing about hydrogen is that almost the only waste product created by burning it is water. One of the unfortunate things is that it doesn't produce much power, since it's a lot less explosive than petrol. BMW, however, claims to have got round this, and says that the 7's V12 engine provides 260bhp - and give a 0-62mph time of 9.5 seconds and a top speed limited to 143mph - regardless of which fuel is used.

Hydrogen: The Perfect Fuel?

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