Not too long ago I delivered a few blog posts featuring some big-ol' gas guzzling SUVs like the Hummer and the Dartz Kombat. Well, I was sitting here stumped on what to write a blog about and I thought to myself that I hadn't done a full-fledged theme week with this video blog in a while, and from there I brainstormed what to do: this week's video blog posts are going to take a look at some of the worst new and ongoing offenders in gas mileage. And I figured since I was giving Hummer some air time recently, it's a sure bet to start this week with one of the biggest modern automotive offenders, the Hummer H3.
A recent article from msn.com suggested that the 2010 Hummer H3 Alpha was one of the 10 biggest gas guzzlers of the current/upcoming (depending how you look at it) year, and it's hard to argue. Averaging out at about 14 mpg between city and highway miles, it's hardly economical in this day and age.
Unfortunately, I had some trouble finding quality video featuring the Hummer H3, but I did stumble upon this clip featuring a recent H3 getting its drift on in the snow at the 2008 Arctic Challenge. Yeah, it's not the exact same vehicle I'm picking on for this post, but so what? It's fun, and it serves as a cold reminder that Old Man Winter is lurking just around the corner.
Ford puts airbags where? Automatic parking coming to a car near you, the Army wants a hybrid Humvee, first 4G-connected car is a Prius, and we take a spin in the hottest SUV you'll ever drive.
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EPISODE 143
SHOW NOTES• CNET review of the 2010 BMW X5 M
• Ford to put airbags into seat belts
• First 4G LTE-connected concept car is a Prius
Earlier this week, I posted a video featuring an SUV, the T-98 Kombat, as made by Russian manufacturer Dartz (whose $1.5M Dartz Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition extravagantly decked out in whale penis leather--how high-brow is that--even got lip service recently on "The Colbert Report"). Anyhoo, this particular blog (located here for your convenience) garnered the snide comment of "It looks like a Hummer...big deal." Well, funny that you should say that, sir, as today's video features the Dartz Kombat one-on-one against the Hummer H1. Let's get ready to rumble!
The Dartz T-98 has been noted as one of the fastest multiterrain armored vehicles in the world, boasting an 8.1-liter engine and made with parts courtesy of General Motors. The Hummer H1 is often considered to be the most desirable of the Humvee makes, being the first of the now famous line introduced by AM General and also valued for its (relatively) efficient gas mileage. Coincidentally, the Hummer brand is also associated with GM, which had to part with the line as part of its bankruptcy settlement. So how much do they have in common versus how much they don't have in common? Well, I'll let you be the judge, as this video puts both vehicle types to the test in various environments including highways, sand dunes, forests, and snow. Enjoy. Or not. It's no big deal, right?
A Humvee made by American General.
(Credit: AM General)Lithium-ion battery manufacturer EnerDel has signed an 18-month, $1.29 million contract with the U.S. Army to design and test hybrid battery options for the Humvee.
Trying to power the iconic fuel-guzzling High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV aka Humvee) with a battery, may seem like trying to put out a fire with a garden hose. But a lithium-ion battery system can deliver a lot of power from a battery quickly, giving a truck like the Humvee the thrust it requires.
EnerDel, a subsidiary of Ener1, will collaborate with the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) on four possible power systems that could be implemented in the XM1124 version of the Humvee.
The company, which specializes in battery cell chemistry as well as the electronics and battery system designs, said it already has two viable options. EnerDel has developed a lithium-tatinate system in conjunction with Argonne National Laboratory that could accommodate the acceleration and hard braking required for such a powerful vehicle like the Humvee. It also has a lithium-manganese system that would give a vehicle extra-long range and allow electronics to be run off the battery for extended periods of time before needing to be recharged.
As part of the 18-month contract, EnerDel will also be involved in testing the systems under "extreme performance simulations." In addition to putting the test vehicles through the usual Humvee paces of wading through water and mountain climbing, there will also be an endurance test.
That will include seeing how a hybrid Humvee fares as a power plant for a field hospital or temporary military post. The requirement makes perfect sense given the ease with which a Humvee can be transported to hard-to-reach areas. One of its key features has always been that it could be dropped in to virtually any terrain by parachute.
A Humvee being parachuted out of a plane.
(Credit: AM General)The hybrid Humvee will also be more stealthy. Anyone who's had a close call with a Prius knows how dangerously silent hybrids can be in total battery mode. The hybrid version of the Humvee will have a powered-down "silent watch" mode that will allow it to run with its diesel generator off, reducing not only its noise, but also its thermal signature to avoid detection.
As always with major military project announcements, the company involved was quick to point out the down-the-road commercial application of its technology.
"In keeping with a long tradition, we also expect that innovations perfected here will have important benefits for the commercial markets," EnerDel President Rick Stanley said in a a statement.
There has already been interest in Raser Technologies' H3E, a plug-in hybrid version of a Hummer-branded SUV called the H3. While not truly a Hummer (the civilian version of the Humvee), the "Hummer-light" descendant has garnered the interest of even the most discerning Hummer enthusiasts.
So if EnerDel's batteries might be good enough to power a Hummvee, why haven't commercial automakers been knocking? They have actually. The company has signed research partnerships of varying commitment levels with Think Global, Fisker Automotive, Volvo, and Nissan. Its parent company, Ener1, is also working with U.S. utilities to develop smart grid storage units.
The drumbeat gets louder against driving while texting, it's hybrid vs. diesel for Green Car of the Year, GM says selling on eBay was great--but we're over it! And we go for a ride in a new retractable Lexus that is either BMW's nightmare--or a total chick car.
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EPISODE 139
SHOW NOTES• Federal employees banned from driving while texting -- are you next?
• Vote for Green Car of the Year
• We get an early ride in the Acura ZDX
Raser's Hummer H3E gets 35 mpg, 100 mpg, or 190 mpg in city. It depends on how you calculate mileage.
(Credit: Raser Technologies)The plug-in hybrid Hummer H3E by Raser Technologies actually gets better mileage than originally estimated.
At the SAE World Congress and again at a Hummer event hosted by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Raser originally said (based on a prototype) its E-REV power train could give the Hummer an initial range of 40 miles on electricity only. After that first 40 miles, the SUV would then get about 33 to 35 mpg earning it the dubious moniker of a Hummer that gets over 100 mpg.
Raser's power train is an electric motor-drive system powered by lithium ion batteries, and a gas-powered generator, aka "range extender," to recharge the batteries.
But further street testing has shown the power train's engineers that the H3E could actually get by on its electric battery alone for the first 50 miles using 60 percent of the battery pack, according to statistics released by Raser.
"This initial test indicates that the vehicle should easily achieve over 100 miles per gallon in typical local daily driving," Jim Spellman, Raser's vice president of business development, said in a statement.
Note Spellman's word choice of "typical local daily driving."
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DETROIT -- The Chinese manufacturer planning to buy General Motors' Hummer brand will expand Hummer's lineup--including vehicles with alternative power trains--and retain its U.S. dealerships, Hummer CEO Jim Taylor said last week.
GM said it plans to sell Hummer to the Chinese equipment manufacturer Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co., of Sichuan province. Terms were not disclosed.
"We've been in talks with these guys for over six months," Taylor told Automotive News. "The reality is in China you have folks that are willing to make investments all over the world. They see a lot of growth potential with this brand both inside and outside of China."
The preliminary agreement means Hummer's 150 U.S. dealerships will be safe as long as the sale goes through, Taylor said.
He said corporate average fuel economy requirements will be a challenge for Hummer in the United States. U.S. fleets must average 35.5 mpg in the 2016 model year.
Hummer's smallest vehicle, the H3 SUV, gets 14 mpg city and 18 highway.
"The immediate challenge is to regain our sales momentum," Taylor said. "Then we have to go after some product changes that will get us into that space where we are compliant with new federal regulations.
"You'll see a broader lineup. That means more models and alternative powertrains that meet the federal regulations."
Taylor will remain CEO, but it is unclear where Hummer will base its U.S. engineering and corporate offices, he said.
Sichuan Tengzhong is a privately owned maker of heavy special-use vehicles, structural components for highways and bridges, and construction machinery.
GM said the deal is scheduled to close by the third quarter and should secure more than 3,000 U.S. jobs in manufacturing and engineering and at Hummer dealerships.
(Source: Automotive News)
Hummer and Saturn get new parents, new mini cars are coming to the U.S., we learn what consumers really want in car tech, and we roll in a new hybrid sedan we really like.
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Hummer goes to the Chinese, Saturn to Roger Penske. It's a whole new day.
(Credit: Hummer, Saturn)• Fiat 500 coming Chrysler stores
Amid recent developments of General Motors' chapter 11 bankruptcy and its decision to sell the all-mighty Hummer brand to a Chinese company, there's a silver lining. And it's a big one.
The U.S. Army wanted to make it crystal clear Thursday that the HMMWV (widely known as "Humvee")--the original High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle that inspired the creation of the Hummer--will continue to be made in the United States, by an American-owned company.
According to Lt. Col. Martin Downie, the U.S. Army's spokesman, though the Army's Humvee and the civilian Hummer look similar and share a common appearance, the rights to produce those two different vehicles are no longer owned by the same company.
The manufacturer of the Humvee has always been AM General, an American company based in South Bend, Ind. The company produced the first 55,000 Humvees for the Army in 1985 and it continues today to produce the Humvee for the military.
In the early 1990s, AM General began producing a civilian version of the Humvee, calling it a "Hummer." By the late 1990s, AM General sold the Hummer name to General Motors.
It's important to note that if the deal goes through, Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company, the Chinese-based prospective buyer of the Hummer brand, will not have access to the military's Humvee, including its designs, unique performance capabilities, and technologies.
Nonetheless, there's one thing Sichuan Tengzhong for sure will gain access to and possibly take advantage of: the vehicle's capability to use a lot of gasoline in a short distance.
The deal is expected to secure more than 3,000 U.S. jobs in manufacturing and engineering and at Hummer dealerships around the country.
As part of the proposed transaction, Hummer will continue to contract vehicle manufacturing and business services from GM during a defined transitional time period. For example, under the proposed agreement, GM's Shreveport assembly plant would continue to assemble the H3 and H3T through at least 2010, GM said in a release.
This story was updated at 11:20 to reflect news of the purchasing company.
(Source: General Motors and AP)
