The wackiest concept at Paris was this two-seat, four-wheeled bike-meets-car named the Quark. Underneath the frivolous exterior, however, the Quark gives us a clue as to how Peugeot views the future of the automobile, because this is a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The Quark uses four wheel-mounted electric motors, each with a maximum torque rating of 73.8 pound feet to give a total of 295 pound feet. They are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and a supplemental nickel metal hydride battery that has a nominal overall voltage of 288 volts. The fuel cell is air-, rather than water-cooled, which saves bulk. The Quark has regenerative braking and all-wheel drive. Peugeot claims that the overgrown quad bike has a top speed of 68 mph and will accelerate from 0 to 30 mph in 6.5 seconds. The range is around 62 miles-it can be extended to around 80 in economy mode-so the technology has some way to go before it supersedes the good old fashioned internal combustion engine.
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