hummer

Car Tech Live Podcast 139: Does the Lexus IS 350C have a big 'ol butt?

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.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) 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

• Audi's electric supercar is a go… Read more

A Hummer getting better than 100 mpg?

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."… Read more

121: Hummer & Saturn sold, new mini cars to hit the U.S.

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.

Listen now: Download today's podcast Show notes

• Fiat 500 coming Chrysler stores

• Hummer sold, Humvee is not!

• Saturn sold to Roger Penske

• Mitsubishi i-MIEV electric car goes on sale soon

• Belkin FM transmitter uses GPS to find open frequencies

The Humvee bids the Hummer bye bye

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 … Read more

General Motors to sell Hummer brand

General Motors announced today it has a buyer for its Hummer brand, reported by the AP to be Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. of China, an industrial firm that until now has not owned an auto brand. The sale is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of this year and is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.

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 … Read more

Schwarzenegger test drives a plug-in hybrid Hummer

The Toyota Prius is great and all, but try carrying sheets of plywood or a soccer team around in it. Oy.

Kraig Higginson, Chairman of Raser Technologies, believes there should also be hybrids that can handle some heavy lifting. His sentiment was echoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who invited the energy technology company to California last week to demonstrate its 100 mpg plug-in hybrid Hummer H3 as part of a monthly series promoting alternative-fuel vehicles in the state.

Higginson showed off the series hybrid SUV, which uses a 2.0L EcoTec engine to charge its battery. The 4WD vehicle is powered by a 200kW advanced-AC induction motor, which on an empty battery achieves 33 to 35 mpg. The 2008 Hummer H3 with a conventional gasoline power train receives a combined fuel economy of 15 mpg.

"At its worst it already meets the new CAFE standards announced by Obama," said David West, vice president of marketing for Raser.

However, West said that drivers would be able to achieve unlimited gas mileage if they charged the vehicle's battery using electricity from a standard 110-volt or 220-volt outlet, and drove less than 40 miles per day; 75 percent of all drivers typically drive this far or less daily. … Read more

115: 100 mpg in a Hummer

Chrysler days away from bankruptcy? The 100 mpg Hummer H3, the Peapod car uses the iPhone for just about everything, and we soak up the fumes trackside at Laguna Seca.

Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES

• CNET's day at the track

• Watch the Scuderi split-cycle engine at work

• Chrysler's Peapod car turns on with an iPhone

• Good roundup of ways to connect your iPod in the car

• 100 mpg in a Hummer H3

Can a SUV be greener than a Prius?

Raser Technologies will unveil a plug-in hybrid Hummer H3 that gets more than 100 mpg at the SAE World Congress in Detroit on April 20. The project was developed in cooperation with GM and is the "have your SUV and drive it too" answer to automotive industry critics and increasingly environmentally-conscience drivers.

By swapping the Hummer's conventional power plant--typically a V-8 engine--for an electric motor powered by a lithium ion battery, the SUV is transformed from a gas-guzzler to a green machine. The plug-in vehicle can travel up to 40 miles in all-electric mode. After the energy is depleted from the battery, the four-cylinder engine kicks in. However, the four-cylinder engine isn't connected to drivetrain and never turns the wheels of the car--its sole purpose is to recharge the lithium ion battery. … Read more

2009 Geneva auto show, with an English accent

At last week's Geneva auto show, we posted photos and wrote up details of the latest cars and concepts. But if you want to experience the show with an English accent, our CNET U.K. colleagues were on hand as well. Here is a selection of their coverage:

Sbarra Orbital Hybrid packs HUD but no hubs We've got video of the ludicrous Sbarro Orbital Hybrid--the concept vehicle that looks and (probably) performs like a Formula One car, but is actually kind to the environment

Honda CR-Z: Hybrid sports car Honda, purveyor of the Insight and Civic hybrids, may … Read more