Peugeot's futuristic prototype two-seater, 4WD Quark was built to showcase the company's fuel cell technology. The Quark has a removable interactive interface, which appears to be a PDA on steroids. The unit serves the same purpose as an ignition key and is used in conjunction with an instrument panel. Positioned in its housing, it provides information concerning the traction system and the fuel cell, speed, SATNAV, etc ... protected by a small transparent and waterproof cover, it allows the vehicle to be started when in place and immobilises it when removed. Far more than just a show floor dummy, the Quark competed successfully at the recent Michelin Bibendum Challenge.
Apart from the innovative PDA concept, the vehicle looks set to create its own class of roadgoing four wheeler, quite similar to the 4WD off-road machines which are selling so well in America at present, yet created as a low-emission inner-urban fuel-cell vehicle.
An electric motor drives each of the four 17" diameter wheels, themselves connected to the chassis by means of triangular wishbones.
In fact, it is in town that the main qualities of the fuel cell - noiseless operation and absence of pollution at the point of use - are most relevant. In addition, when used in and around town, i.e. in driving conditions that involve frequent deceleration phases, it is possible to use the vehicle's electric motors to enable regenerative braking, thereby recovering energy expended during deceleration at no cost and reducing the vehicle's overall fuel consumption.
The fuel cell supplements electrical energy supplied by a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery consisting of 40 individual cells, each with a voltage of 7.2 volts. The battery can therefore provide a nominal overall voltage of 288 Volts. In parallel, PSA Peugeot Citro'n have also developed new solutions to simplify the fuel cell and reduce its size to help integration into more compact vehicles.
Firstly, the fuel cell of the Quark is not water-cooled, but air-cooled. This avoids the need for a bulky water-cooling system and removes one of the major constraints of the fuel cell: the incompatibility between pure water/negative ambient temperatures. When the ambient temperature hits freezing point, water can cause irreversible damage to a water-cooled cell, since an anti-freeze suitable for a fuel cell has yet to be developed. It is therefore not necessary to garage the Quark regardless of weather conditions.
Provided by Gizmag.com
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