There was also the issue of the hydrogen tanks eating into the large car's cargo capacity, as we discovered one morning outside the hotel in Munich when the BMW team realized the fleet of test cars would carry us but only about half of our luggage. Still, two people per car could live with it.
On balance, then, it's a livable alternative technology, if the price issues are brought into line.
After driving the cars 100,000 km around Germany without technical trouble, BMW's perspective is a little more enthusiastic. They say they have reached the pollution goals other car companies can only dream about reaching.
"The result of this long-term test is that hydrogen-powered combustion engines have now been realized as a technological solution," BMW says. "They offer numerous benefits in terms of cost, weight and versatility of use without foregoing superior driving performance and customary engine power."
BMW thinks it's time to move onto the infrastructure issue, because "Consistent reduction of CO2 will only be possible when hydrogen is regenerative produced in sufficient quantities."
So, along with promoting its pledge to honor its performance promise, BMW says this world tour allows it to help gather answers to some of the key questions involving hydrogen as an automotive fuel.