New BMW Indonesia: BMW Hydrogen 7
Modified where necessary: chassis, suspension, and body
BMW Hydrogen 7 comes as standard on 8J x 18 light-alloy wheels and is available as an option with 19-inch light-alloy wheels including a BMW Mobility Set.
All 18-inch tyres, whether summer or winter, are failsafe tyres. This means that the driver can go on even under complete loss of tyres pressure, driving to the nearest workshop without any hassle.
Yet a further feature is that a new generation of the TPC Tyre Pressure Control system permanently monitors the car’s wheels. Integrated in the valves of all four wheels, the TPC sensors register even minor deviations from the ideal tyre pressure, thus recognising the risk of a flat in good time even with only a gradual loss of pressure.
Accommodation of additional components in the rear end of the car called for re-alignment of the suspension and damping systems in BMW Hydrogen 7. So despite the higher load on the rear axle, both driving stability and motoring comfort remain at an optimum standard. And yet a further feature is BMW’s electronic AdaptiveDrive anti-roll stability system with continuously adjustable dampers featured as standard in BMW Hydrogen 7 and naturally specially tailored to the car.
The bodyshell of BMW Hydrogen 7 has likewise been modified exactly where required in order to set off the increase in weight resulting from this new drive technology and at the same time fulfil all demands in terms of passive safety. Use of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFP), for example, ensures an even higher level of crash strength and safety with only a minimum increase in weight.
Focusing especially on BMW Hydrogen 7, BMW’s engineers have furthermore developed an innovative combined CFP/steel body structure, with the sideframes right and left being reinforced all round by CFP in order to give the bodyshell additional strength and stiffness.
A particular feature of the car truly catching the eye from the very beginning is the engine compartment lid characterised in its contours by a distinctive powerdome. This change in design is indeed essential due to the greater height of the engine compared with a conventional twelve-cylinder - and at the same time it is a clear indication of the unique power unit beneath the engine lid.
Luxury class comfort for four
Given the position of the hydrogen tank beneath the parcel shelf and behind the rear seats, BMW Hydrogen 7 had to be modified at the rear, with luggage compartment capacity being reduced in the process to 225 litres or 7.9 cubic feet. And on account of the car’s overall package, the centre armrest is fitted firmly at the rear.
Precisely this is why BMW Hydrogen 7 is conceived as a four-seater, the two passengers at the rear enjoying the same high standard of grand touring comfort in the world’s first hydrogen car developed for everyday use as in one of BMW’s “regular” luxury performance saloons.
The rear seat bench, for example, is positioned approximately 115 millimetres or 4.5ยดยด further to the front than in the long-wheelbase version of the BMW 7 Series running exclusively on gasoline, but is still about 25 millimetres or almost 1.0 further to the rear than in the standard-wheelbase saloon. As a result, legroom is as generous as one would expect in a car of this class also in BMW Hydrogen 7.
This particular touch of comfort, class and style is also underlined by the car’s unusually wide range of standard features: Over and above the high level of equipment featured from the start in the BMW 760i, BMW Hydrogen 7 comes inter alia with climate comfort composite glazing, BMW’s high-end automatic air conditioning, auxiliary heating, electric seat heating for the driver, front passenger and rear seats, lumbar supports, electric seat adjustment with memory function on the front seats, ISOFIX child seat fastenings, Park Distance Control, a rain sensor, exterior and interior mirrors with automatic anti-dazzle, Soft Close Automatic for the doors, and a headlight assistant.
A particular sign of distinction is the imprint “BMW Hydrogen Power” on the sunblinds on the rear side windows, with the same message being proudly presented in the illuminated door entry strips.
BMW’s navigation system Professional, the HiFi system Professional complete with a CD changer, as well as a rear monitor with a DVD changer and TV function with DVB-T reception and a separate telephone at the rear all ensure maximum grand touring comfort.
Yet a further highlight of BMW Hydrogen 7 is the BMW Assist telematics service and the Teleservice preparation kit. Then of course there are further highly convenient features such as Comfort Access, a heated steering wheel, Active Seats at the front, Comfort Seats at the front, active seat ventilation at the front, BMW Night Vision, Adaptive Headlights as well as voice recognition for controlling the navigation system, telephone and audio system also in BMW Hydrogen 7. And last but certainly not least, BMW Online also provides access to special BMW Hydrogen information pages.
Progress without compromises
BMW Hydrogen 7 clearly contradicts the assumption that changing over to an alternative form of energy means missing out on superior driving dynamics and motoring comfort.
On the contrary: Neither in its exterior looks nor in its driving behaviour does BMW Hydrogen 7 resemble any of the cars presented so far in the general context of innovative drive technologies. Accordingly, this departure from fossil fuel does not in any way mean giving up the dynamics and performance so typical of a BMW. Rather, mobility of tomorrow and driving pleasure of today are by all means compatible, with the drive concept of BMW Hydrogen 7 being directly transferable also to future models. So driving a car of this calibre will be just as thrilling in future as it is today, but at the same time cleaner than ever before.
Experiencing the future in BMW Hydrogen 7
Driving a BMW Hydrogen 7 means more than “just” experiencing the dynamic performance and supreme comfort of an exceptional luxury performance saloon. For the discerning individual driving the first hydrogen car in the world developed for everyday use will at the same time be enjoying a truly exceptional pioneering experience. Indeed, such a first-hand experience of a breakthrough into a new age of individual mobility also means contributing to this development through one’s own expertise and probing mind. Precisely this is why every user of a BMW Hydrogen 7 is in exceptionally close touch with the engineers of the BMW Group involved in developing the car and its technology, allowing direct answers to all questions possibly arising in the everyday use of such a brand-new technology. And of course this also means that BMW Group specialists receive ongoing and direct feedback on the everyday experience of “regular” motorists with the world’s first hydrogen car driven under regular conditions on the road.
There can be no doubt that the launch of BMW Hydrogen 7 also marks the beginning of an important test period. For despite the most intense testing, certain knowledge and findings can still only be obtained under practical driving conditions, particularly the “usability” of specific components in everyday motoring. After all, BMW Hydrogen 7 differs in numerous details and functions from a BMW 7 Series with a conventional gasoline engine.
Launching BMW Hydrogen 7, the BMW Group seeks not only a close dialogue, but also close cooperation with its customers: To establish hydrogen as a sustained alternative to fossil energy for individual mobility, ongoing development of technological potentials must be conducted in parallel to a close, direct and intense focus on the demands and interests of the car’s users.
Ultimately, therefore, this breakthrough into a new era of mobility is a challenge to all groups involved in this process. And the signal the BMW Group is sending out through the introduction of BMW Hydrogen 7 is directed not only to the network partners involved in politics, science and the energy industry, but also to an open-minded clientele highly sensitive to trendsetting innovations in the world of mobility.
source: http://www.bmw.co.id/
