Autoblog

Guess which one's the Prince? Click to view in hi-res

For the environmental conscience of the style-conscious elite, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that there's finally a more suitable alternative to the Toyota Prius. The bad news is that it's arguably no better looking. But like moths to the limelight, the big names have flocked to the new BMW Hydrogen 7. After being adopted by such stars as Cameron Diaz, Will Ferrell, Jay Leno and Placido Domingo, the latest of the rich and famous to receive the keys to the luxo-enviromobile is none other than His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco.

The monarch of the tax-haven Mediterranean principality took delivery of the Hydrogen 7 at the Ever Monaco environmental exposition in Monte Carlo, where Prince Albert proclaimed, "I monitor very carefully, in the automobile sector in particular, the development of new technologies". Hmm, guess that means the crown prince reads Autoblog – or our sister-site Autoblog Green, which reported this particular piece of news previously – on a fairly regular basis then. Welcome to the site, your highness.

Unfortunately this means that with only 100 examples of the car being offered to the public, that's one less for the rest of us. Press release after the jump.

Gallery: BMW Hydrogen 7

[Source: BMW]

The BMW Hydrogen 7 arrived in late 2006 boasting the unique ability to run its V12 powerplant on both hydrogen and gasoline. This was a smart idea, as the on-board 30-gallon tank of -253° Centigrade liquid hydrogen was only good for a range of about 125 miles. The other fuel tank, filled with 19.5 gallons of good old-fashioned gasoline, extended the range another 310 miles. It didn't offer any environmental advantage, but it did allow you to get home.

BMW is following up the original Hydrogen 7 with a new version - this time minus the gasoline tank. While official performance specifications, including emissions data, have not been released, BMW is claiming both performance and range have been increased. It will debut at the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference and the 2008 SAE World Congress in mid-April, when BMW is expected to release emissions date for the car, as well.

Gallery: BMW Hydrogen 7