GM Shows Cadillac Powered By Fuel Cells At CESGM Shows Cadillac Powered By Fuel Cells At CES

General Motors Chief Executive Rick Wagoner on Tuesday became the first automotive executive to give a keynote at the International Consumer Electronics Show, and he used the spotlight to show off a fuel-cell powered luxury vehicle.

The Cadillac Provoq, a concept car that isn't expected to be ready for several years, was driven on stage as an example of the technical advancements in store for GM's future customers. Wagoner described the vehicle as having "the most advanced propulsion system in the industry."

With a range of about 300 miles, the Provoq runs on a fuel cell that generates electricity through a chemical process using hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air. The car also has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack for additional power, and solar panels on the roof for running electronics in the car, such as the stereo. The vehicle, according to Wagoner, will eventually be able to reach speeds as high as 100 mph.

A good portion of Wagoner's keynote focused on GM's efforts to move away from cars running on traditional gasoline-powered engines. Besides the pollutants spewed by such vehicles, the rising price of gasoline threaten to make them too expensive for many people, Wagoner said.

Alternative vehicles include those that run on ethanol, electricity, and fuel cells. GM currently makes hybrid cars. Among the latest is the 2008 Saturn Vue, which costs less than $25,000. "This new hybrid shows that you don't have to be rich to be green," Wagoner said.

At the start of his keynote, Wagoner was driven on stage in a Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid vehicle that could be released in 2010. The car can run only on batteries for up to 40 miles, which covers the daily commute of most Americans, before having to be recharged. If a small gasoline engine is hooked to a generator to recharge the batteries, then the car's range could potentially be increased to 640 miles on the highway.

While cars aren't considered a consumer electronics device, vehicles have incorporated electronics since the electric starter replaced the hand crank in the early days of the industry, Wagoner said. Today's cars, with telematics, air bags, anti-lock breaks, and electronic stability control, are "highly sophisticated consumer electronics."

Among the most advanced electronic systems under development by GM is one called V2V, which stands for vehicle to vehicle. The technology uses transponders to enable cars to communicate with each other up to a quarter mile away, Wagoner said. For example, if a transponder-equipped car on a highway made a sudden stop or was in an accident, the vehicles with the same technology behind it could be notified of the problem and automatically slow down.

GM demonstrated the system in 2006 using Cadillacs. Other carmakers working on V2V communications included BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Honda, and Volvo.

As another example of GM's work in advanced electronics, Wagoner described how the company won last year's DARPA Urban Challenge, which is a race between cars driven solely by robotics over a 60-mile obstacle course. GM and the Carnegie Mellon University Tartan Racing Team won the race using a driverless Chevrolet Tahoe, called "Boss."

Wagoner said that one day people would be able to talk on their cell phone, check e-mail, eat breakfast, and apply make up while driving to work. "You'll be able to do all the things that you do right now while commuting to work, but you'll do it safely," he said jokingly.

For about a dozen years, GM has offered an in-car safety and navigation system called OnStar, which has undergone its eighth upgrade since its launch, Wagoner said. Among the new features is what the chief executive called the "stolen vehicle slowdown."

When police spot someone driving a stolen vehicle, they can notify OnStar operators, who can use the electronics in the vehicle to have it slow down gradually until coming to a stop. At the same time, they can use the OnStar communication system to tell the driver that the police are coming and they should park the car and stay in the vehicle.

Wagoner said the new feature could help prevent some of the 300 deaths that occur as a result of the 30,000 car chases involving police each year. Other upcoming features include the ability to use a mobile phone to interact with a vehicle, such as to lock and unlock the car, and to flash lights and sound the horn in a crowded parking lot when drivers can't find their cars.

GM plans to blend the Web with OnStar, making it possible, for example, for a person to map a route on MapQuest and upload it for use later through the car's navigation system. OnStar rival Hughes Telematics also is working on an in-car system that works in conjunction with a Web site to provide diagnostic services, the ability to track a vehicle, and upload music. The Hughes system's services will be rolled out gradually over the next four years, and will be available in Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz cars.