Hydrogen fuel-cell Cadillac Provoq features eco-friendly gadgets galore
The Cadillac Provoq was introduced at this year’s CES, as the first concept car to premiere at the event in its history. It’s aimed at being a vehicle to allow GM to show-off its recent “eco-friendly” technologies and gadgetry in a single luxury concept. Besides being powered by hydrogen fuel cells and lithium ion batteries, it showcases new innovations such as automatic grill-shades and a roof-mounted solar panel to power all vehicle electronics.
According to CNet, the Provoq primarily runs on hydrogen, but uses the battery for peak power output and storing electricity to extend the range when it’s needed. Like others, the battery can be charged simply by plugging into any wall socket. With this setup, it’s reported to get up to 300 miles per one tank of hydrogen. The vehicle also uses GM’s fifth-generation fuel cell which now encompasses far less space than previous versions, allowing for increased interior room and overall storage.
GM is looking to even more alternatives than the traditional E85 initiative it’s already putting in play. GM has said in the past that adoption of E85 distributorship with stations has taken longer than expected, with only around 1,400 stations in the US carrying it so far. It already killed the all-electric EV1 a few years ago, so I guess fuel cells is the next viable option. Probably a good idea if you ask me, it seems to be where the industry is going.
Some other cool innovations being showcased on the Provoq, is OnStar’s new “Stolen Vehicle Slowdown” feature that will actually bring a stolen vehicle to a stop, while saying “This vehicle is being slowed at the request of a law enforcement agency” in a nice calm voice for the thieves. Also noteworthy were the vehicle-mounted sensors and transponders that will allow future GM vehicles to communicate with other cars and warn of traffic jams and potentially dangerous situations.
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