Raser Electric has built an extended-range electric Hummer H3 which will supposedly return 100 MPG when it hits the road. How did they do it? By building a simplified Chevy Volt before GM could.
The vehicle is designed, first and foremost, as a pure electric vehicle, with a 268 HP electric motor hooked directly to the transmission, which is still connected to the all-wheel-drive system. A stand-alone four-cylinder gasoline engine replaces the previous V6 or V8 and drives a generator making electricity after about 40 miles of driving when the lithium ion batteries are spent.
The Raser Tech electric Hummer H3 can be charged via 120V or 220V electricity via a plug-in port, which is of course hiding behind the fuel filler. Where exactly you put the fuel, we don't know. All of this sounds pretty much like the Volt, doesn't it? The tall claims will have to be backed by road tests but we'll just have to wait and see if Raser Tech can out-do the General on this one. The company plans on unveiling the finished product next weekend at the SAE World Congress in Detroit and we'll be ready to bring you all the details. [Raser Tech]