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Our guest blogger Carson Barker has been freelance writing since 2001. He has a bachelor's degree in music journalism, and when he's not writing about the entertainment industry or general news, he teaches music and art lessons in his hometown of Austin , TX. He has a passion of cars and he wanted to share the latest in car innovations with the readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com.

Here's his article:

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Race of the Hybrids

Even those who can afford the high gas prices have no excuse now.

BMW has just released the first hydrogen-powered luxury cars the world has seen. Competing in the hybrid auto market, BMW has stated that the new beamer will be released in limited edition only in Europe; a U.S. release date has yet to be announced.

Known as the Hydrogen 7, what makes this car a hybrid is its engine; it's capable of running on hydrogen or gasoline. In gasoline mode, the 12-cylinder gets a reported 15 miles per city, 22 on the highway. In hydrogen mode, the potential gas guzzler emits a pollutant free vapor; another good reason to run on hydrogen. The foreign forerunner also has a switch that can convert from hydrogen mode to gasoline mode smoothly and easily. With the body style roughly similar to previous BMW models, the sleek, ice-colored Hydrogen 7 is capable of running zero to 62 mph. in 9.5 seconds. At 260 horsepower, one would think this beast of a hybrid could top out in the 200 mph range. This feat of speed might be possible if it weren't for the electronic speed limiter, which caps off max speed at 143.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 plans to run with the rest of the hybrids in the market, including Honda and Toyota who are the leaders in producing and selling hybrid cars.

Foreign auto manufacturers aren't the only companies speeding through the hybrid technology trend. Chevrolet's 2007 Avalanche has the optional E85 engine; which translates to 85% ethanol and 15% gas. The monster-sized four door truck sports five passenger seating, four wheel drive and has the option of folding the entire back wall of the cabin and seats down to transform into a full-size bed. Along with the Avalanche in the E85 zone, Chevy is also offering the Sequel; a minivan type of SUV. The Sequel can burn zero to 60 mph in 10 seconds, and can go 300 miles until it needs a fill up. Just when you thought SUV's were gas-guzzling dinosaurs of the 1990's, its time to buy another one.

With hybrid technology increasing as fast as gas prices, BMW's Hydrogen 7 and Chevrolet's Avalanche and Sequel offer a realistic alternative approach to throwing money down the gas tank. Cleaner emissions to boot shows that hybrid's are shooting to beat the auto race in an eco-friendly way. Now all we need is a hybrid Hummer.

Carson Barker
Guest Blogger
AmericanInventorSpot.com

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