(STONEWALLED/REJECTED BY DOE)
At the Society of Automotive Engineers‘ recent world congress in Detroit, hybrid engine developer Raser Technologies unveiled a whopper — a plug-in, extended-range Hummer powered by Raser’s E-REV power train engine. Yes, you read that right – an electric Hummer H3 that has 268 hp, a 40 mile all-electric range, and a fuel efficiency of over 100 mpg.
Beating the Toyota Prius is like finding the holy grail for car manufacturers, but few would’ve expected this announcement. According to Raser, the fully functional electric H3 (which, we should note, is only in the demo phase at this point) gets 100mpg — provided that a person doesn’t drive farther than 40 miles. Once it travels beyond that range the vehicle’s fuel efficiency drops dramatically, though it’s still better than a standard Hummer.
The electric H3 is quite impressive, and certainly the range Hummer and Raser have achieved is headline-worthy. But we can’t help but wonder why you would ever need such a vehicle in the first place. The size and materials involved alone make it incredibly environmentally unfriendly, and there’s hardly a need for it in urban areas.