Quick! What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a Hummer sport utility? For me it is “gas hog” but undoubtedly there are many others such as “environmental nightmare” - and few are positive. You can imagine my disbelief then when I started hearing rumors last month about a Hummer that was capable of getting 100 miles per gallon. In fact, with all the “fake news” sources on the Internet, I assumed this was simply another fabricated story to discredit SUVs in favor of smaller vehicles (or possibly the next hybrid video idea from Gary Busey).
Truth is, there is a plug-in hybrid Hummer H3 being developed by a company called Raser Technologies, in conjunction with FEV. Raser is a Provo, Utah based energy technology company focused mainly on geothermal power development and also on long range plug-in hybrid vehicle solutions (PHEVs). Raser originally introduced their “E-REV” powertrain at the 2008 SEA International World Congress (E-REV is similar to the power behind the upcoming Chevy Volt, except it was designed for large trucks and SUVs). At the ‘09 SEA in Detroit, Raser showed off the technology in a H3 Hummer that boasts 100 mpg based on 65 miles of driving (with the first 40 miles driven in all electric mode).
CEO Brent Cook mentioned that Raser chose the Hummer H3 as a demonstration vehicle because trucks and SUVs are the best selling vehicles in America and they would benefit the most from increased fuel economy and reduced emissions. With a vehicle like this able to travel up to 40 miles without using any gas, there would actually be no emissions at all (80% of people in the U.S. drive less than 40 miles per day).
If you are interested in learning more about this green Hummer, below is a fun video that provides additional information. I would also recommend you visit the Raser website to watch this video clip from CNBC, although it gets a bit off topic and wanders into geothermal discussions.
It remains to be seen what will happen with Raser’s plugin hybrid technology (let alone the Hummer brand). The fact that this hybrid drive is in a Hummer or a full-sized SUV isn’t the real story anyway…it could just as easily have been added to any large truck, van or sport utility. For me, it is exciting to learn what Raser and their partners have been able to accomplish in such a short period of time and we look forward to bringing you more news from them soon.
