BMW was not kidding when it said it would offer a 7-Series with a hydrogen combustion engine within two years. Back in March, an AFX News report citing BMW sources said a production version of the 745h concept was on schedule for launch in 2008. BMW first provided a timeline when it unveiled the concept in 2004, at the time saying the car was four years away from production. Now, spy photographers in Germany have captured photos of an actual road-going prototype in testing. One photo even shows a prototype with what appears to be a hydrogen cylinder in its trunk.
The German automaker’s hydrogen efforts center around hydrogen combustion technology, which promises to offer motorists a driving experience very similar to that of gasoline engines, without having to compromise performance.
The BMW approach is not the same as a hydrogen fuel cell, and does not involve the use of electric motors. The first cars are expected to run on either hydrogen or gasoline.
