Last week when we had an article about the College Station Hummer Happening preview (btw, article and images are coming soon!) and we talked about ‘scorpions and rattlesnakes,’ we really didn’t have any knowledge of Hummer using just those predatory creatures in one of their newest commercials. The newest on Hummer.com is called “Don’t Blink,” and features the 2008 Hummer H3 Alpha intimidating some unlikely suspects. Some people we talked with said they wished they saw more of the vehicle, and the ‘story’ was a little stretched. We agree. Although, we think it made the H3 Alpha look pretty tough.
We also came across another H3 ad on director Joseph Kosinki’s website (He’s also done SAAB, Halo 3, and Nike commercials). The ad is called “Selector,” and it has us very impressed. The blend of animation, music, physical and paint customization (including a flame paint job and a chrome exterior – nice!), and actual off-road footage – really amazed us. The final tagline is perfect – ‘Game On.’
Driving around the DFW area, it’s apparent the ‘bigger is better’ attitude has never been more true when it comes to Texans and their trucks and SUVs – and now, GM is making it possible to have large, capable trucks and SUVs, while conserving energy (and money!) at the same time. The Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and GMC Yukon Hybrid will land in showrooms this winter, and allow drivers to keep the large SUV and lose the environmental guilt.
The vehicles are being showcased starting this weekend at the State Fair of Texas since both hybrids SUVs will be manufactured nearby at the GM assembly plant in Arlington, TX. Yesterday we got a sneak peek and a chance to drive the new hybrids before the opening of the fair with some GM product experts along to explain the new technology.
“The advanced two mode system is designed to optimize fuel efficiency in both city and highway driving, resulting in a 30 percent improvement in overall fuel economy — and a whopping 50 percent improvement in city driving, according to EPA labels, on our two wheel drive model.,” explained Ed Peper, Chevrolet’s general manager. “That’s the same fuel economy as the 2008 Toyota Camry, with its base 4 cylinder engine. The big difference is the Tahoe and Yukon still both deliver the capability that SUV customers are looking for – rated at 332 horsepower these hybrid SUVs provide impressive power and towing capacity”
GM calls the two mode hybrid system ‘Strong Hybrid Technology’ according to Scott Miller, the lead development engineer behind the system. The system switches from electric propulsion and engine power depending on conditions. Electric-only mode can work up to 30 mph. During our test drive, we only got up to 5 mph before Miller let us know we switched to ‘mode two,’ due to us running the air on high in the Texas heat, which requires a little extra power.
One neat tool is a new gauge on the instrument panel that displays how your driving habits affect your efficiency (see image below). The needle goes further to the right during heavy acceleration and further left during heavy braking. Trying to keep the needle in the center will help drivers hone in their driving skills to maximize efficiency.
We’ve heard for a while that Hummer will never be offer a Hybrid due to the off-road requirements the brand possesses – but talking to Miller gave us some hope. He explained the two-mode hybrid system has actually been in place for several years in large city busses, and that there was no reason that a Hummer couldn’t utilize the Hybrid technology. “There’s no reason it couldn’t…whether or not a Hummer duty cycle would benefit a lot – that’s a study that would need to be done. But from a technical standpoint, that’s the great thing about the two-mode technology – we could do it.” However, out of the 16 hybrid vehicles GM is rolling out in the next four years, we don’t expect any of them to bear the Hummer label.
Hummer limos are a popular choice for weddings, and increasingly, having a ‘green’ wedding is becoming more popular. Quite a predicament you say? Not for the folks at Exotic Coach in Chicago, IL. They’ve converted their Hummer H2 limo to run on propane gas. The conversion was done by a company called Fuel for Earth, who says conversions on most vehicles can be done for round $4,000 and $6,000 – and some vehicles are even eligible to receive up to a $4000 credit from the government. Check out the video to see how you can have a green wedding, and keep the Hummer limo!
When we saw the headline, “Hummer Goes Hybrid with National Geographic,” we expected to see some kind of conversion vehicle outfitted with a hydrogen engine. Instead, we saw a commercial announcing the release of a Hydrogen powered Hummer H3, due out in the spring of 2008 (see video below). “Hydrogen Powered National Geographic Edition,” appears during Hummer’s signature ‘world pullout’ shot at the end. There’s only one problem with the ad: It’s a hoax.
According to General Motors, they have some National Geographic Hummers at the Grand Canyon, but that is the extent of any partnership right now. Although there have been some Hydrogen Hummer conversions in the past, this was an elaborate video hoax produced by Desedo Films. Also, if Hummer ever decides to mass produce a Hybrid, something tells us we’ll know more than 6 months in advance of its release!
An interesting blurb buried in Gregg Easterbrook’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback blog on ESPN.com compares the environmental impact of the Live Earth compared to the impact of driving a Hummer for a year. We realize that ESPN doesn’t have a ton of credibility reporting on environmental news – but they enlisted help from CarbonFootprint.com.
Live Earth was the event where celebrities like Madonna and musicians such as Red Hot Chili Peppers traveled to performances around the globe to ‘solve the climate crisis.’ Easterbrook worked on the premise that half the participants probably flew in a private jet, and according to CarbonFootprint.com, a single transcontinental flight has emissions equivalent to driving a Hummer for a year. Factor in all the commercial flights, spectators, logistic support, and so on, and you have an estimated 35,000 tons of greenhouse gasses caused by Live Earth – the equivalent to driving a Hummer for 4,000 years!
Easterbrook wasn’t the only one to report on the hypocrisy, (see example 1, example 2), but he was the only one that we know of creative enough to put it in ‘Hummer Years!”
We’ve seen some impressive driving in Hummers – and most of it has been off-road. This driver shows of their drifting and stunt skills by keeping a Hummer H3 riding on two wheels for some time! The vehicle is on the verge of roll-over – and the cost of one mistake for this guy would be pretty expensive! We’ll leave two wheel driving (at least at high-speed…) to these guys, you should too!
Sega recently announced its adding four more vehicles to its “Rally Revo” game, and a custom Hummer H3 made the lineup. According to Sega, Hummer is one of the only auto manufacturers to allow customization and changes to their model for use in the game. This couldn’t be much of a surprise since, after all, Hummer has a commercial focusing on customizing in which an H3 shoots off a pier and turns into a submarine (See video below). For the video game, Sega artists “removed the rear doors and dropped the ride height, brought the wheel arch up a touch and tweaked it further to allow more space for wheel clearance… then added Rally-Raid influenced wheels and tires.” We’d like to give all the credit to the Sega design team, but we couldn’t help be reminded of a very similar Hummer H3 we saw at the 2005 SEMA show. We think SOME design credit should go to the folks at Toyo Tires – what about you?
Hummers, mud, rattlesnakes, and scorpions we’re all on hand (almost literally in some cases!) this weekend as we helped prepare for the upcoming Hummer Happening event for Sewell Hummer customers. The event in College Station, TX will feature three different courses designed to push the Hummers to their limits. The video below is of a Hummer H3 entering into a dry creek bed, which created the perfect v-ditch scenario. You can tell the H3 is right at the approach limit since its front bumper is doing some light plowing, and it also took some driving skill to get out when only two tires had traction. As with any off-road event, weather will have a big role in how everything goes down – just a light rain can make even some of the flat areas on the ranch pretty tricky!
“A soldier only dies if they are forgotten,” is the motto that inspired Chris Veit to create RememberTheFallen.com – a website that acts as a memorial to those who have given their lives serving our country. Users can submit images, news stories, and other information on fallen soldiers to help preserve their memory. To help gain awareness for RTF campaign, Veit travels across the country in a specially equipped Hummer H2 with patriotic graphics decorating the exterior. Check out the progress of their cross country RTF Hummer tour on the trip blog. Be sure to check out RTF’s MySpace page too. If you happen see Veit and the Hummer on the road – give them a honk and a thumbs up – it’s great to see this kind of passion!
