Staff Photo by Allison Kwesell

Hank Forman, a hydrogen fuel station specialist for BMW, drives a Hydrogen 7 BMW up an elevated ramp to fuel it with liquid hydrogen at the First Tennessee Pavilion. The Hydrogen 7, which has a 12-cylinder, 260-horsepower engine, is part of the 13-day Hydrogen Road Tour.

Major automakers, representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy and other organizers stopped in Chattanooga this morning to showcase new clean, efficient, hydrogen-powered vehicles.

The two-week tour of 31 cities in 18 states is part of a nationwide campaign to promote the new technology, which organizers and automakers said could be available for the public in seven to 10 years.

About 300 members of the public attended the event at the Tennessee Pavilion and between 100 and 200 signed-up to test drive the cars, according to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga spokesperson Chuck Cantrell.

Hydrogen vehicles from BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen are making the journey, joined by hydrogen transit buses, along the route from Maine to California.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. and Linde are providing mobile refueling stations and hydrogen fuel, according to a press release.

For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.