The new BMW Hydrogen 7 (videos) will make its world debut at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show. The car started production on November 13, and is being produced in a limited series will be sold to selected drivers worldwide in 2007. It is equipped with an internal combustion engine capable of running either on hydrogen or on gasoline and based on the BMW 7 Series.

The Hydrogen 7 is powered by a 260 hp twelve-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-100 km/h (0-62.1 mph) in 9.5 seconds. Top speed is limited electronically to 143 mph, as is the case with many cars from BMW. For comparison, the petrol-only 6L V12 found in the 760Li outputs a maximum 438 hp and 444 lb-ft of torque for a 0-100 km/h time of 5.7 seconds; and the petrol 4.8L V8 pushes out 360 for both hp and torque figures, accelerating the 750i from 0-100 km/h in 6.1 seconds.

The Hydrogen 7 also features a dual-mode power unit that can switch quickly and conveniently from hydrogen to conventional premium gasoline at the touch of a button. Engine power and torque remain the same regardless of the mode of operation, so switching from one mode to another has no effect on the driving behavior and performance of the BMW Hydrogen 7.

Because there is not yet a full network of hydrogen filling stations in the United States, the BMW Hydrogen 7 features dual-mode drive technology gives a combined cruising range of over 400 miles - the hydrogen mode gives more than 125 miles, with another 300 miles in the gasoline mode. Fuel capacity is 74-litre (16.3 Imp gal) for gasoline and approximately 8 kilos (17.6 lb) of liquid hydrogen. The control system in BMW Hydrogen 7 gives priority to the use of hydrogen; and should one of the two types of fuel be fully consumed, the system will automatically switch over to the other type of fuel.

By using hydrogen produced from water and renewable energy, such as wind, sun or hydropower, in an internal combustion engine, the car's emissions in hydrogen mode are essentially nothing but vapor, allowing the water cycle to start again.