First Drive Review
While the Equinox fuel-cell SUV will put GM on the road next year in tiny numbers, the Sequel concept car was built to show what a fuel-cell vehicle might look like in mass production. Answer: big.
Recently the company allowed journalists to turn a few miles in its Sequel concept, shown at the Detroit auto show in January of 2005 as GM's most realistic fuel-cell concept car to date.
Following the Hy-wire sedan concept from the 2002 Paris auto show, the Sequel is a crossover sport-ute and GM's second draft of a car built off its AUTOnomy fuel-cell platform. It uses the same "fourth-generation" fuel cell stack as the Equinox but incorporates more prototype technology, including newer lithium-ion batteries, four-wheel steering, brake-by-wire electric brakes and steer-by-wire electric steering. A single motor powers the front wheels while two compact wheel-hub motors drive the rear wheels. The goal was a 60 mph sprint time of 10 seconds and 300-mile range.
Driving on smooth, twisting roads in southern California, the five-passenger Sequel demonstrated whisper quiet operation—past fuel-cell concepts have had whined loudly owing to their high-pressure air-compressors—and stout acceleration. The cockpit is spacious and the cabin airy.
