In testing the BMW Hydrogen 7—essentially a BMW 760Li modified to run on hydrogen in addition to gasoline, as our own Bill Howard noted in our TechnoRide review—the New York Times ran into an interesting restriction: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wouldn't let the car through the Lincoln or Holland Tunnels, or on the lower level of the George Washington Bridge. The reason? The Hindenburg.

"It seems that BMW drew the Port Authority's attention when it began pumping liquid hydrogen into its small test fleet of dual-fuel sedans in Port Jersey, not far from the docks where BMWs disembark after their voyage from Germany," the article said. "And historically speaking, it's fair to say that the last hydrogen-dependent German flagship that docked in New Jersey left a lasting impression."

In other words, some misguided government bureaucrats are afraid that the Hydrogen 7—as explosion-resistant as BMW has reportedly designed it—could in fact cause another disaster on the scale of the famous, hydrogen-filled zeppelin. So no tunnels for the BMW Hydrogen 7 for now.