Cadillac Unveils Hydrogen-Powered Provoq at CES


By Matthew Phenix January 08, 2008 | 11:27:28

Amid the cavalcade of personal media players, 1080p televisions, and GPS navigators at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, General Motors rolled out a little hardware of its own. The sharp Cadillac Provoq concept, looking altogether ready for the showroom, employs GM's innovative E-Flex architecture (formerly known as the Sequel "skateboard" chassis), which underpins the allegedly forthcoming Chevrolet Volt. It packs a pair of 10,000-psi hydrogen tanks, which feed a fuel-cell stack under the hood, which in turn produces enough juice (up to 88kW of continuous power) to charge a lithium-ion battery pack and spin both a 70 kW co-axial electric drive system at the front wheels and two 40 kW in-wheel motors at the rear. Naturally, the compact Provoq is stuffed to its low-drag roof rack with all manner of show-car goodies, including dual battery charging ports in the left and right front fenders, a roof-mounted solar panel to boost the electric charge, and front grille louvers that close up at highway speeds to improve aerodynamics. Fully fueled and charged, the Provoq will run 300 miles, claims GM. Sixty miles per hour arrives in a respectable 8.5 seconds, and the Provoq will press on to a top speed of 100 mph. Hydrogen safety and infrastructure questions aside, this one looks awfully good to us.

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