When it comes to preserving the environment through the advances of road-bound technology, you probably wouldn’t expect to find ‘Hummer’ and ‘eco-friendly’ sharing the same sentence. However, that’s exactly what’s happened thanks to an electric Hummer that boasts very respectable performance.
Double the mpg delivered by a Prius. No, seriously. Image. Raser Technologies.
More pointedly, while the lumbering road warrior from General Motors (GM) is known for being something of a gas-guzzling beast, GM has unveiled an electric Hummer variant that it claims will provide 100 miles to the gallon, which is double the output offered by Toyota’s famous Prius.
The result of a partnership between GM and energy technology expert Raser Technologies, the new Electric Hummer H3 comes equipped with a suspension-testing 600 pounds of lithium-ion battery power, which will push the vehicle along for up to 40 miles in all-electric mode before the driver has to seek a recharge.
Rolled out in Washington D.C. as part of a promotional demonstration to peddle its new environmental credentials, the prototype Hummer H3 also has a reduced petrol engine the driver can switch to in order to maintain momentum and provide the battery packs with a moving charge boost.
“The powertrain in this vehicle can be applied to most trucks & SUVs, and is ideal for fleets, contractors and small business owners,” explained David West, vice president of marketing at Raser Technologies. “It delivers the payload of a pickup truck with better gas fuel economy than a Prius.”
Although current hybrid cars offer prospective green drivers plenty of eco-friendly performance they do perhaps lack in the aesthetic and desirability department, something that will unlikely hinder the inexplicably sexy Hummer H3.
And, while the H3 is expected to carry a forecourt ticket price of around $50,000 USD when it arrives in 2011, General Motors has indicated that some 17,000 advanced orders have already been placed for its new beastly hybrid.
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