BMW CleanEnergy

The motivation behind this innovative new concept is clear: hydrogen is the fuel of the future. It reduces dependence on other natural resources and eliminates CO2 emissions, which are responsible for the greenhouse effect. And if renewable energy is used to generate hydrogen for use in cars, the entire cycle is environmentally friendly.

BMW has created an engine which uses hydrogen as its source of energy and which is as dynamic and agile as every other BMW powerplant. Very similar to a series production automobile, the BMW 745h from 2001 shows just what the company can do.

Its bivalent 4.4 litre, V-eight engine can run on either hydrogen or petrol, and its performance figures are more than merely impressive: 135 kW (182 hp) of power and a top speed of 215 km/h. It can cover 300 km on a full tank of hydrogen, plus 650 km on petrol. The first series production hydrogen BMWs will be on the market during the availability period of the current 7 Series.