The groundbreaking BMW Hydrogen 7, the first hydrogen-powered luxury sedan will join other hydrogen-powered cars in the 2008 Hydrogen Road Tour. The tour will take the convoy of environment-friendly cars across the country from Portland, Maine to Santa Monica, California. The goal of the tour is to call on congressional leaders to support the creation of nationwide hydrogen fuelling station infrastructure.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 stores liquid hydrogen to power its internal combustion engine, the only car on the tour to have this functionality. Since hydrogen produces zero emissions, it is one of the cleanest energy sources available. In fact, the Hydrogen 7’s tailpipe emission is water vapor, which recent studies confirm to be safe enough to drink as it is well within the limits set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for safe drinking water standards.

The tour will also include a mono-fuel version of the BMW Hydrogen 7 that features a V12 internal combustion engine which runs exclusively on hydrogen. The mono-fuel Hydrogen 7 was created to demonstrate the zero CO2 and low emissions potential and feasibility of a dedicated hydrogen internal combustion engine. The Hydrogen 7 mono-fuel doesn’t only produce close to zero emission; it actually helped clean the air.

The 2008 Hydrogen Road Tour will run from August 11 to 23 and is in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, the California Fuel Cell Partnership and the National Hydrogen Association. In addition to BMW, participants include Daimler, GM, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan, Toyota, and VW. Also part of this broad coalition are hydrogen fuel providers Linde, BMW’s hydrogen fuel partner for the Tour, and Air Products.

Via The Auto Channel

BMW has unveiled a new car that can read speed limit signposts and variable limit signs and display this information on the instrument cluster. With this technology, drivers are always aware of the speed zone they are in and adjust their driving accordingly especially on roads that have several different speed zones depending on traffic flow.

A small camera installed near the interior mirror constantly monitors the signs along the road and compares this with data saved in the navigation system. The camera will be able to read painted metal signs as well as dynamic digital displays. The date recorded by the camera is given priority and the speed allowed is displayed through the instrument cluster or in the head-up display on the car’s windscreen. This will significantly reduce the risk of breaking the speed limit by mistake.

Still, the BMW Speed Limit Display is an information system only. It will not intervene in the control of the vehicle or its speed. Maintaining a correct and safe speed is still the sole responsibility of the driver. The new Speed Limit Display will be available in the new BMW 7 Series set to be unveiled in Europe later this year.

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