BMW 7 Series Hybrid and X6 Hybrid confirmed for 2009 release

Why are they doing this on big cars? It is only guilt that drives the need at that end of the market. It's more needed on the 3-series.

Gives customers a sense that BMW is brand that will most likely still be here in the future.

bmw's hydrogen engine was mainly a marketing trick, really. one of the world's most successful luxury car manufacturers couldn't overlook something that you would have learned back in high school chemistry, which is that, per volume, elemental hydrogen has less hydrogen atoms than gasoline, which makes it far less reactive in oxygen. the only way to make elemental hydrogen more reactive would be to burn it in pure fluorine, which is ridiculously expensive for use in a car.

as for the production of the fuel, i think hydrogen for use in engines is produced by electrolysis of water, which does use a fairly large amount of energy per product. however, the refining of crude oil into the higher alkanes (gasoline etc) requires large amounts of energy, too. true, at the moment the process is probably more efficient than the process of producing hyrdogen, but i'd hazard a guess that that is because the process of oil refining has been (for lack of a better word) refined over the many years it has been used. given the same amount of time, i would believe that the process of aquiring hydrogen could be refined to a point where it is more efficient than oil refining, because it uses electrolysis, which is potentially a more efficient process than refining through heat.

as for the 4 engines to power one thing, i think i may have misread the first time - i read it as hydrogen engines are only 25% efficient, so in order to get the same amount of energy as a gasoline engine would take four engines, hence my thinking you were saying that gasoline is 100% efficient.

I dont see why exactly you are arguing into such depth with my comment. I was merely disagreeing with your statement about the hydrogen powered 7 being a waste of time and money. As I said before, I saw that car as a great milestone for BMW, being a car company for the future. Being the first of the german manufacturers to develop that engine is almost worth its weight in gold in terms of publicity.

Even if the hydrogen 7 series was not the most viable project to be undertaken, it does not stop hydrogen being used for other purposes in cars, such as what Honda are doing with the Clarity. (i.e. Hydrogen to power electric motors)

Oh, and as for that chemistry lesson you feel you had to give the users of WCF, I feel you may have gone and answered the question that nobody asked. Thanks.

oh and TSLi - it is possible to base a discussion on scientific fact, instead of mere opinion. the question might not have been asked, but it sparked a more interesting debate than the usual brand-loyalty one. so please, the tone is not warranted considering the innocence of the offence.

1.) With companies nowadays just copying the leader, why invest so much to come up with a product (in this case, building hydrogen network, hydrogen tanks, develop with other manufacturing companies) and then soon after launch, if product is successful, another car company just comes and steals the idea and copy without much investment? Look at iDrive, etc.

2.)BMW's strategy is now to boost profitability and cut costs, R&D of such nature should be cut as it will not bring a soon enough result for the company. Hybrid is the way to go in the mean time.

3.)If Hydrogen is the way to go, let someone else come up with the idea and set up networks. Why be a leader, take up all the starting risks and not gain all potential profits because you are certain other car companies will just copy whatever you come up with (like Audi)

and btw, you are going to cop so much flak for saying audi is just a bmw/merc copycat. =P

Don't get me wrong, Audi is a very nice car company and they make good products, just that it doesn't seem like they come up with anything amazing except for the R8.