Electric Hummer Combines The Best Of Two Worlds

100 mpg Hummers are now possible thanks to technology being used by Raser Technologies to go where no SUV has gone before.

Forget for a moment that the Toyota Prius is the best selling hybrid vehicle sold in the United States.  That car is currently duking it out with the all new Honda Insight for hybrid supremacy, a lottery battle that is being warmly embraced by greenies the world over.

Small Cars, Great Fuel Economy

Inasmuch as the Prius and Insight represent today’s thinking regarding marrying the best of two worlds, i.e. automotive technology and earth friendly motoring, these vehicles are not for everyone. Indeed, if you need storage room, want to haul stuff or simply prefer the ride and feel of a large sport/utility vehicle you’re pretty much out of luck.

True, the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid offers best in class fuel economy delivering 21 mpg city, 22 mpg highway (20/20 with four wheel drive) while also providing lots of storage room and the ability to tow up to 6000 lbs. But, these fuel numbers are still fairly tame compared to what is coming down the pike.

100 MPG Hummer H3

While General Motors is hanging on for dear life and its Hummer division is close to being shut down, a Utah company has decided to take matters into their own hands by redoing the Hummer H3 into a plugin hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). This aftermarket overhaul allows the H3 to achieve incredible fuel economy — 100 mpg city and 33 mpg highway.

Raser Technologies is the company who has repurposed the Hummer H3, recently displaying its product at this year’s SAE International World Congress in Detroit. The electrified H3 runs on a 200 kilowatt induction AC motor paired with high powered lithium ion batteries to achieve its remarkable fuel economy. The 700 Volt H3 is “like a Volt on steroids” according to Raser, referencing the Chevy Volt which is expected to be released late next year by GM.

Fast, Fuel Efficient and Clean

The Raser Technologies H3 can drive 40 miles in all electric mode daily and then up to 600 miles in hybrid mode. The Hummer takes in regular fuel as well as E85 (ethanol blend). The H3 will go from zero to sixty in 8.5 seconds, while the standard H3 takes 10.2 seconds to reach that speed.

Raser says that the hybrid H3 gets the highest fuel economy of any SUV on the market while still offering the ground clearance Hummer fans crave. Emissions on the Raser Hummer is best in class and the vehicle can be recharged at home using either 110v or 220v outlets.

The company is also looking to apply its technology to the Hummer H3T and says that other big pickup trucks including the Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram 1500 can benefit. According to Raser, the converted trucks would continue to offer the same payload while benefiting from fuel economy that is actually better than what the Toyota Prius now delivers.

Raser says that converted work trucks come with a 100 kw onboard generator which can supply electricity at remote sites to power equipment such as electric saws. The company claims that all that mobile power is enough to power your own home and that of six of your neighbors.

Right now, the electrified Hummer is a demonstation vehicle, but production will be according to customer demand. In other words, if a fleet owner wants to convert some of their trucks to hybrid power, Raser can provide that work for them.

Photo courtey of Raser Technologies.

Separating The Good GM From The Bad

Inasmuch there are some people who would like to see General Motors survive as currently arranged, the likelihood that the company will be restructured through bankruptcy court has never been greater. Indeed, the Obama administration is telling GM to prepare for that scenario, given that it is probably the only way that the automaker will finally be able to resolve its festering problems.

Tens of Millions Lost Daily

As recently as January, GM was losing approximately one billion dollars about every three weeks, an amount that translated to more than 80 million dollars a day. Losing tens of millions for any company is a challenge, but when you lose that amount every day that you’re open for business, then there is something terribly wrong with the way that you work.

Last year, in January, I was the guest of GM at the Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) an event where the automaker wined and dined media types from all over the world. In addition to being one of the sponsors for the show, GM hosted an annual gala leading up to the NAIAS, inviting Mary J. Blige, Maroon5 and other stars to headline the event. GM was supporting this event even as they were hemorrhaging cash — not exactly the best way to preserve fast dwindling funds.

Though I was grateful for the Detroit invite, in retrospect I can see how much this event cost the automaker, hastening its demise which became apparent as 2008 closed out. Even as recently in August I was invited to Ohio (but unable to attend) by GM to view the roll out of the Chevy Cruze, another costly publicity event within the same calendar year.

Good GM & Bad GM

The plan for GM if it does go through bankruptcy is to split the company into two parts, what the federal government calls the “Good GM” and the “Bad GM.”  The first entity will comprise the automaker’s healthy assets which includes its Chevrolet brand, its Chinese assets and perhaps Cadillac. The “Bad GM” will be made up of its many bad assets including brands such as Saturn, Saab and Hummer. It’ll also include bondholder debt and at least a portion of the company’s health care and other union obligations.

The Obama administration is under the impression that it will be able to resolve GM’s bankruptcy quickly via its proposed arrangement dividing the company. The thinking with this is that the federal government would inject five to seven billion dollars into the automaker, helping GM emerge from bankruptcy in as a little as two weeks. The bad asset part or “Bad GM” would take longer to unwind, but the good assets might be able to thrive going forward in short order.

It was on March 30th when President Obama announced that GM had sixty days to restructure while telling Chrysler LLC officials that they had thirty days to form an alliance with Fiat S.p.A. or face liquidation. With the former company, the feds see a glimmer of hope, but with Chrysler all bets are off if an agreement with Fiat cannot be reached.

Related Reading: GM Makes A Case For Bankruptcy

No Easy Resolution For GM Brand Restructuring

Just weeks from now, General Motors will have to present its recovery plan to the U.S. government as part of keeping its side of the deal when the feds went ahead and loaned the automaker bailout money in December and in January. GM received billions of dollars of taxpayer money, but with one catch: they would have to present a recovery plan by March 31st, outlining the direction that the company plans to go.

Three Weak Brands

That direction for GM involves overhauling its bulky and costly brand structure, one that means shoring up several brands, shrinking at least one, and selling off two. As of now the shoring up side of things is progressing, but even that effort could be dragged down by the company’s inability to sell HUMMER and Saab.

Yesterday, Automotive News [subscription required] outlined the progress GM has been making with HUMMER, Saab and Saturn and the news isn’t pretty. GM has already committed to upholding Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet while shrinking Pontiac down to a one or two model brand. Those plans are in place, but the automaker’s effort for the three remaining brands are not.

The Swedes Are Showing Little Interest

Reportedly, GM has been in talk with the Swedish government about finding a buyer or receiving aid, but neither a buyer nor aid have come forth. GM is attempting once again to make Saab an autonomous company by moving production, engineering and marketing to Sweden while pulling the brand out of GM’s vast global network.

HUMMER has been nothing but a headache for GM since last summer when the company announced that the niche sport/utility brand was for sale. High gas prices destroyed the brand’s appeal, which has kept potential buyers away. GM is asking $500 million for HUMMER, but would probably take significantly less for it if a buyer (Chinese manufactuer, perhaps?) stepped forward.

R.I.P. Saturn?

Saturn was at one time the most promising of all GM ventures, having got its start as a separate car company wholly owned by GM back in 1985. When its first model, the S Series, rolled off of a Tennessee assembly line in 1990, the brand was an immediate hit. Over time, GM neglected Saturn and eventually pulled the company into its brand network, supplying Saturn with a handful of unique vehicles or badge-engineered products from Opel and other U.S. brands.

Interest in Saturn has waned over the past few years, with GM considering blending Saturn into the Buick-GMC-Pontiac network, or finding a global partner, or even allowing dealers to purchase it. So far, none of these options has transpired, leaving Saturn hanging and vulnerable to closure.

Whatever direction GM chooses to take, a decision will have to be made soon. Shutting down all three brands is an option, a step which would invite debilitating lawsuits from dealers.

Clearly, the options for GM are quite limited when it comes to HUMMER, Saturn and Saab, three brands that no one wants and brands GM is unprepared to support. Taking taxpayer money has a price, something GM will have to pay in what could be a costly restructuring of the century old automaker.