“We believe this vehicle may hold the key to solving the most important challenges facing the nation by reducing our dependency on foreign oil, addressing climate change, and reinvigorating American manufacturing with American technology,” Kraig Higginson Raser's chairman said.
Working together with FEV and General Motors, Raser developed this vehicle starting from a Hummer H3. The four-wheel drive was "designed to achieve more than 100 mpg in typical local daily driving with near zero emissions by driving up to 40 miles per day in all-electric mode." An internal combustion engine still exists and it is used to recharge the batteries.
The electric H3 has a range of about 400 miles (640 km), running the first 40 miles (64 km) on electric power alone. The electric performances of the H3 are not at all impressive, yet, given the size of the thing, it is a good start. Besides, most people don't even drive more than 40 miles a day, FEV says.
“Because most Americans drive less than 40 miles a day, this powertrain technology could have an enormous impact reducing the amount of gasoline consumed every day and support President Obama’s initiative to achieve significant improvements in fuel economy across all sectors of the light-duty fleet, including trucks and SUV’s.” Gary Rogers, FEV president said.
“The powertrain in this vehicle can be applied to most trucks & SUVs and is ideal for fleets, contractors and small business owners,” said David West, Raser’s vice president of marketing. It delivers the payload of a pick up truck with better gas fuel economy than a Prius,” David West, Raser’s vice president of marketing added.
Google News