e-flex
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Cadillac Provoq is latest host for GM's E-Flex fuel cell powertrain
GM is planning a few of these E-Flex vehicles, and while the Chevrolet Volt is the current flagship, this one ain't no slouch in the looks department. Perhaps more importantly, the Cadillac Provoq crossover looks much closer to a ready-for-market car than your average concept. This edition of E-Flex uses a fuel-cell stack to power a 70-kilowatt motor for the front wheels and a pair of in-hub 30-kilowatt motors in the back. A pair of 10,000 psi hydrogen storage tanks and a lithium-ion battery should muster about a 300-mile range, with only about 20 of that coming from the battery. Still, you can charge the battery with plugs on both sides of the car, and that 20 miles might be just enough to complete your daily commute -- or perhaps fuel a desperate attempt to track down a hydrogen filling station. There's a solar panel on top to help power internal electronics, and the powertrain design allows for a good amount of storage and leg room. It's unclear at this time if GM's going to take Provoq to market, but we're certainly looking forward to one of these E-Flex dealios going all the way.
Opel's E-Flex Concept vehicle packs and charges a pair of Segways
Yeah, you read that right. What better way to deck out your plug-in hybrid concept mini-mini-van but to include charging bays for a product that flopped three years ago? That seems to be Opel's strategy with the new E-Flex, which runs on diesel, plugs into a wall, and wastes immense amounts of space toting around and charging a pair of Segways in back. Sheer idiocy -- so why do we want one so badly?[Thanks, Brian]
GM's plug-in hybrid concept: the Chevy Volt
Rumors have been swilling about an upcoming plug-in hybrid from GM, and it just hit the wires in all its gas-budget-friendly wonderment. While the Chevy Volt concept car does kick it 20th century style with an internal combustion engine, the 71 hp, 1.0L three cylinder engine isn't directly hooked up to the wheels. Instead, GM's new E-Flex platform uses the engine to automatically keep a 40 mile li-ion battery charged, which in turn powers the car. With a full fuel tank, the Volt has a range of 640 miles, but the battery should do just fine for most commutes, with an overnight charge (6-6.5 hours) off of a standard 110V wall outlet to fill the juice. As for performance, the Volt can manage 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, which isn't terrible for a four door sedan that's saving you a bundle on gas money -- to the tune of roughly 500 gallons per year for the average commuter. Unfortunately, this one's just a concept for now, with no potential production plans in sight. The big holdup is the batteries, since powering a car solely on li-ion is still a bit of a risky proposition given the fact that nobody has brought one to market yet (we're all rooting for you, Tesla). GM's also vying for an actually financially viable solution: a total cost of ownership that bests current production cars. You'll hear no complaints from this side.
