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By Larry Carley c2009
Yes, even a Hummer can be transformed into a green vehicle. A Hummer H3 ReEV "range-extended" plug-in electric vehicle was unveiled at the Society of Automotive Engineers Congress in Detroit this week (April 20-24, 2009). The SAE show is a gathering for automotive engineers to view the latest products and technology from OEM supplier companies, and to discuss the future of automotive technology.
The plug-in electric Hummer H3 that was shown by Raser Technologies and FEV, Inc. is not a production model, but a fully drivable demonstration vehicle that shows how green technology can transform an SUV that normally gets 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway into one that can be driven up to 40 miles without using a drop of gasoline, and get the equivalent of 100 mpg!
The stock drivetrain in the Hummer ReEV has been replaced with Raser's 200 kW traction motor mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission. Raser's 100 kW generator is driven by a 2.0L turbocharged GM Ecotec 4-cylinder engine. The engine is not coupled directly to the drivetrain, and is only used to run the generator. The engine does not run at all when driving in electric mode, and only comes on when the Lithium Ion battery pack needs to be recharged or has been depleted. The electrical drive system operates at 625 volts, and can be recharged from a high voltage charger or standard 110 volt AC outlet.
The Hummer H3 ReEV is no slouch, and is capable of 90-mph plus highway speeds. It retains all the functionality of a conventional Hummer, and can provide supplemental electricity from its onboard generator to power emergency equipment or lighting.
To accommodate full electric mode driving, the vehicle's engine-driven accessories such as the A/C compressor and power steering pump have been converted to electrically driven units.
The video below tells the whole story of this amazing vehicle:
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