Eco-warrior: 165mpg Hummer H3
21 April 2009
An American company claims to have built a Hummer H3 plug-in hybrid capable of 165mpg.
Raser Technologies has fitted the Hummer H3 with lithium-ion batteries, a generator and a 2-litre engine.
Over a 40 mile distance, which Raser says is what 75 per cent of drivers cover per day, the H3 uses no petrol.
It will boast 165mpg over 50 miles, 100mpg over 65 miles and 33mpg over 200+ miles – twice the standard Hummer H3.
The lithium-ion batteries can be charged from home and give the Hummer a range of 40 miles between charges with the generator charging the batteries beyond this.
The 2-litre engine doesn’t drive the SUV at any stage and is connected to the generator, producing electricity to help charge the batteries in a similar way to the forthcoming Vauxhall Ampera.
And if the SUV makes production, UK customers could be eligible for a £5,000 grant to buy one under plans recently announced by the government.
It’s got the backing of action man-turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Californian governor, who owns two Hummers, who was at the Society of Automotive Engineers International World Congress in Detroit where the SUV made its debut.
He said: “There is nothing wrong with the Hummer, it is a great vehicle.
“We should change the technology within those vehicles”
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