Plug-In Hummer Satisfies America's "Need" for Large Vehicles Says Sen. Hatch

Prototype Demonstrated for Senate Members With Fuel Economy Claims of 33-100 MPG

Plug-in Hummer H3 by Raser Technologies gets battery charge during Michigan introduction in April .

While there's usually plenty of dirt to sling in the nation's capital, there was none to be seen on the Washington Mall  Wednesday as Utah's Raser Technologies put its plug-in hybrid Hummer -- a capable off-roader -- through its paces for members of the Senate.

The company says the gas-electric hybrid, a conversion of a standard four-wheel-drive Hummer H3 developed by Raser and FEV Group in cooperation with General Motors Corp.'s Hummer unit, can travel up to 40 miles in all-electric mode and deliver 33 miles per gallon over the course of a tank of fuel and a few hundred miles of driving.

If driven less on a daily basis -- that first 40 miles on rechargeable battery power and another 25 miles on gasoline -- the hybrid Hummer could deliver the equivalent of 100 mpg, Raser says.

Mileage in between the two extremes would vary depending on the mix of all-electric drive and gas engine use.

A video on Raser's Web site explains the company's mileage claims and shows off its technology.

Wednesday's demonstration was part of an effort by Congress to highlight how technologies such as hybrid and all-electric vehicles might help the domestic auto industry recover from its financial meltdown.

Sen, Orrin Hatch (right),  a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, remarked after driving the gas-electric SUV that it is the type of vehicle that can help the country wean itself from its dependence on imported oil.

The Utah Republican also showed himself no fan of the drive to downsize Americans' motor vehicles, maintaining that the plug-in hybrid technology shown off by Raser (which is based in his home state) "is specifically designed for America's best-selling vehicle class -- SUVs and trucks" and that efforts to help the U.S. auto industry recover "must address our real need for larger vehicles."

(Hatch needs to do a little homework -- is been more than two years since trucks and SUVs outsold cars, so they are no longer the "best-selling vehicle class." But they still are popular, accounting for almost 39 percent of new vehicle sales in March.)

He said he sees rechargeable hybrid technology as one way of making big vehicles more environmentally friendly and declared that he supports President Obama's oft-repeated goal of getting 2 million plug-in hybrid cars and trucks on U.S. roads over the next six years.

Raser, whose primary business is building electric power plants that use geothermal energy, unveiled the the plug-in Hummer at the Society of Automotive Engineers International's annual conference in Detroit last month.

The company also has developed a plug-in hybrid pickup truck.

Danny King, Contributor

Posted by

John O'Dell May 21, 2009, 8:43 AM

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