The Great Green American Road Trip

Nothing beats the adventure of the open road: unknown sights, new faces, ultimate freedom. For one group of Silicon Valley women, their dream to drive across the country was not only realized, it was also subsidized by GM and the best part was, they got to drive the whole way in a 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid!

From July 12-17, five tech-savvy moms hopped in a 2008 Chevy Tahoe hybrid (courtesy of their sponsor, GM) and drove from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, with stops in Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. As they drove, they were armed with laptops, video cameras, and the best social networking has to offer so that they could blog, Twitter, and Facebook all about their green road trip. You can read their full blog here.

The moms shared their experiences and singing voices while making the long haul in the donated 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid. The goal of this trip was to showcase the hybrid SUV while entertaining potential buyers and Chevy’s target market for the Tahoe. In GM’s version of the promotional video, they heavily touted the mileage of the Tahoe as its main benefit (the Tahoe hybrid gets 21 miles per gallon in the city and 21 MPG on the highway).

Some have criticized GM for solely pushing the fuel savings and not engaging the conversation in the direction of the environmental benefits that the car offered. Discussions of how much less carbon was being put into the atmosphere or the mechanics of the hybrid technology could have engaged a new niche market and would have educated potential buyers about the Tahoe while empowering them to have all of the information they need to make a purchase decision.

On the other hand, this quirky look at a long-haul drive in a Tahoe really allowed potential buyers to peek inside and see how comfortable the moms and their gear were for the five-day drive. Heavy promotion also raised awareness in general about hybrid SUVs, and Chevy is clearly hoping that pays off! So, what would the gas bill be for this trip? Nearly 3,000 miles, averaging 20 miles per gallon would mean 150 gallons. Gas was over $4.00 at that time, so it was likely upwards of $600. Looks like GM was the big winner with this green ad campaign.

Now, if only I could get a sponsored road-trip in that new hybrid Escalade. I promise I’d blog along the way!

Media Link:  Katie Couric from CBS News welcomes the hybrid SUV Moms in this short video.