BMW Group's new Hydrogen 7 vehicle shows the current state of the art in hydrogen combustion engines as well as in liquid hydrogen storage in an unique premium sedan vehicle. This vehicle, being BMWxs first hydrogen car in real-life costumer usage, proves feasibility of hydrogen under series production requirements. It is understood as a very first step towards industrialization, being well aware, that several more development steps are necessary to reach full competitiveness in terms of customer demands concerning functionality, cost and road capability. The presentation shows key elements of future advances, which finally lead in a future perspective to such a competitive hydrogen vehicle.

Advanced hydrogen combustion engines (H2-ICE) with higher power- and torque-density are an integral part of future hydrogen hybrid drivetrains, facilitating significant reduced fuel consumption in an optimized vehicle energy concept. BMWxs concept of efficient dynamics is combined with Near Zero Emission Concept with extremely low emissions below or very near detection limits. Thus, high performance, efficiency and low emissions can be combined with all well known advantages of conventional combustion engines like endurance, reliability, cost, and weight.

BMWxs Hydrogen 7 is the first car, using cryogenic storage of liquid hydrogen (LH2) in the market. Further advances of the LH2 storage system, concerning system structure, control concepts, design to cost and design to manufacturing are the basis for enhanced functionality as well as for significant cost-reduction potentials. Future LH2 lightweight storage concepts together with the possibility of structural integration into the vehicle body allow for unreachable low additional vehicle weight keeping at the same time a high level of communality to conventional car structures. A system comparison to high pressure gas storage shows the competitiveness of the LH2 concept, especially for larger passenger cars.

Finally, a concept for integration advanced hydrogen combustion drivetrain and LH2 storage is shown, enabling both a cost effective vehicle and high road capability as key factors for success especially in a transition phase towards a future hydrogen economy.