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Texas H2 Coalition Invites Public to Test Drive Newest Hydrogen Vehicles


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BMW's Hydrogen-based Effort

AUSTIN, Texas--Want to take a drive in a car of the future? You can on Thursday, March 22, as the Texas H2 Coalition unveils several hydrogen vehicles, including the world's first hydrogen drive luxury performance car, here in Austin.

The ride-and-drive event highlights the newest breakthroughs in low-emission vehicles and ways that these vehicles can be fueled. Free and open to the public, several vehicles will be on display and available for test drives. The event takes place from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday in the 1200 block of Colorado (between 12th and 13th Streets).

Hydrogen vehicles from Toyota, BMW, Daimler Chrysler, and General Motors will be featured. A valid driver's license is required for test drives.

“Hydrogen fueled vehicles are swiftly becoming a reality,” said Pete Parsons Marshall, executive director of the Texas H2 Coalition. “They are not something that is off in the distant future. The challenge now is just finding ways to create an infrastructure that will support them.”

Among the cars available to test drive is Toyota's FCHV -- Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle -- which uses a fuel cell stack and an on-board storage system and features many of the same components as its gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. This second-generation FCHV has greatly improved efficiency and has 10 percent greater hydrogen storage capacity, allowing for a 330km cruising range.

Also on display is BMW’s Hydrogen 7, the world's first hydrogen drive luxury performance car. Based on the BMW 7 Series, the BMW Hydrogen 7 is powered by a 260 hp twelve-cylinder engine and accelerates from 0-62.1 mph in 9.5 seconds. It features a dual-mode combustion engine that can switch quickly from clean hydrogen to conventional gasoline.

The event will be held in conjunction with an announcement Thursday morning by State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and Rep. Warren Chisum regarding their bill package intended to provide incentives for the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in Texas.