Su primera aparición pública fue el SAE World Congress en Detroit hace unas semanas, pero ahora se estrenó en las calles nada menos que en Washington, frente al Capitolio, donde los ocasionales peatones veían al enorme vehículo cargando sus baterías en una toma corriente convencional.
Según Brent Cook, director general de la compañía, "creemos que lo hecho con el Hummer eléctrico es exactamente eso: el coche del futuro". Y los motivos para haber utilizado el H3 obedecen precisamente a que, en uno de los vehículos con peor fama, también se puede introducir tecnologías limpias.
Lo importante del H3 es que ofrece un rendimiento cercano a los 44 km/l ¿Cómo lo logra? Gracias a un motor eléctrico (E-REV) y tres paquetes de baterías de iones de litio en la parte trasera. Con dicho bloque puede recorrer hasta 65 kilómetros, antes de que entre en funcionamiento el motor a combustión, que a su vez tiene una autonomía de 640 kilómetros.
En cuanto a RASER, se trata de una empresa que ha demostrado interés en adquirir Hummer y, por lo mismo, llevar su modelo a la capital estadounidense tiene un cariz político, pues de concretar la compra buscará apoyo estatal para el desarrollo masivo de su tecnología.
Su fuente de propulsión se centra en ocho baterías que desarrollan una potencia de 11 caballos. Estas baterías, de 6 voltios, tienen una duración aproximada de hasta 3.000 cargas, ideal para un auténtico ecologista de salón que no tiene por qué renunciar al placer de conducir un Hummer.
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Utah company produces Hummer that gets 100 mpg
SALT LAKE CITY — They’re big, thirsty gas guzzlers, reputed to be an enemy of the environment, but that bad rap may be about to change. A Utah company hopes to drive the Hummer into green territory.
On Wednesday, they showed off their concept on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Would you believe a gas guzzler like this could get 100 miles to the gallon or more? They unveiled it at a Detroit auto show a few weeks ago. It seemed to impress Hummer-lover Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Then Utah’s Raser Technologies took their pitch to Wall Street. The Provo company is angling to become a major player in the floundering car business with a next-generation vehicle. Brent Cook, CEO of Raser Technologies, said, "We believe what we’ve done with the electric Hummer is exactly that: it’s the car of the future."
The electrical system and software were developed in Utah. They targeted the Hummer because of its bad reputation. Cook said they took the worst environmental offender to prove they could sober up a gas guzzler.
The heart of the system is the drive-controller, an on-board computer that sends signals to the electric motor that drives the wheels, as well as to a gas generator that keeps the batteries recharged.
In long-distance driving, the gas engine might kick in only 15 minutes every couple of hours. If you plug it in overnight and drive less than 40 miles a day, Raser says you’ll never need gas.
Raser claims power and torque are competitive, so the technology could penetrate deeply into the big vehicle market, the kind Americans like to buy. Cook explained, "When they’re able to get the vehicles they want with the efficiency they want, that’s when you really start making a difference."
Raser is part of a company bidding to buy Hummer from General Motors. They were in Washington because they have a political pitch too; they want federal subsidies to retool the Hummer factories.
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Raser Technologies To Demonstrate 100 MPG Hummer Extended-Range Electric Vehicle To Members Of U.S. Congress
WASHINGTON DC, May 19, 2009-Raser Technologies, Inc., a leading energy technology company, announced today that its 100 MPG Electric Hummer H3 will be demonstrated at United States Capitol tomorrow, Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 2 PM EDT.@ Members of Congress are invited test drive the vehicle.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) will introduce the vehicle and comment on the role new technology can play in an American automotive recovery at the event to be held on Capitol Hill at the Upper Senate Park. Kraig Higginson, chairman of Raser Technologies, and Gary Rogers, president of FEV, Inc. will answer questions and tell members of Congress about the vehicle.
“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,” added Higginson.
The Electric Hummer H3 was developed by Raser Technologies and its integration partner FEV in cooperation with General Motors and its Hummer division. “Americans value the versatility of trucks and SUVs, the number one selling vehicles in America, but we also want to do what’s right for the environment, said Kraig Higginson, “This vehicle demonstrates that through innovation, we can do both.”
The full-size SUV is a four-wheel drive vehicle 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. For extended trips, a small internal combustion engine (range extender) kicks in to recharge the batteries.
“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,”
Gary Rogers, president of FEV, Inc. and a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on the Effectiveness of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) Standards, said “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.”
The vehicle demonstration and press event will be held on Capitol Hill at the Upper Senate park on the corner of Constitution and Delaware at 2 pm EDT.
More information on the Raser Hummer E-Rev can be found at www.rasertech.com/hummer. Raser will hold a number of media interviews at the Capitol in conjunction with this ceremony.
About Raser Technologies
Raser is an environmental Energy Technology company focused on geothermal power development and technology licensing. Raser’s Power Systems segment is seeking to develop clean, renewable geothermal electric power plants and bottom-cycling operations, incorporating licensed heat transfer technology and Raser’s SymetronTM technology developed internally by its Transportation and Industrial segment. Raser’s Transportation & Industrial segment focuses on extended-range plug-in-hybrid vehicle solutions and using Raser’s award-winning SymetronTM technology to improve the torque density and efficiency of the electric motors and drive systems used in electric and hybrid-electric vehicle powertrains and industrial applications. Further information on Raser may be found at: www.rasertech.com.
About FEV, Inc.
The FEV Group is an internationally recognized powertrain and vehicle engineering company that supplies the global transportation industry. FEV offers a complete range of engineering services, providing support across the globe to customers in the design, analysis, prototyping, powertrain and transmission development, as well as vehicle integration, calibration and homologation for advanced internal combustion gasoline-, diesel-, and alternative-fueled powertrains. FEV also designs, develops and prototypes advanced vehicle / powertrain electronic control systems and hybrid-electric engine concepts that address future emission and fuel economy standards. The FEV Test Systems division is a global supplier of advanced test cell, instrumentation and test equipment. The FEV Group employs a staff of over 1,800 highly skilled specialists at advanced technical centers on three continents. FEV, Inc. employs approximately 300 personnel at FEV’s North American Technical Center in Auburn Hills, MI.
