New BMW Hyrdogen 7 to run completely on Hydrogen

In yet another step toward a zero-emissions world, BMW this week rolled out a BMW Hydrogen 7 with a V12 internal-combustion engine that has been engineered to run solely on hydrogen. The previous version of the Hydrogen 7 was a biofuel version that runs on gasoline and hydrogen.

The upgraded monofuel Hydrogen 7 is being paraded in front of some important audiences, including the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference in Sacramento, California, this week. It will also show up at the 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit, which starts on April 14.

BMW emphasizes that the BMW Hydrogen 7 monofuel is a "demonstration production vehicle, not a prototype."

"It was created to showcase the zero-CO2 and low-emissions potential and feasibility of a dedicated hydrogen internal-combustion engine," the automaker said in a statement. "In addition, the BMW Hydrogen 7 monofuel helps deliver additional experience in the everyday use of hydrogen beyond what has already been learned with the nearly 100 bifuel Hydrogen 7 sedans that have been used in a customer test-drive program since November 2006."