[Update: For news and commentary on Hummer's cancellation, click here]
GM’s consumer production of the Hummer, a variant on the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (aka HMMWV or “Humvee”) developed by AM General appears to be coming to an end. The revolting Hummer H1, insidious Hummer H2 and despicable Hummer H3 lines will no longer be produced by General Motors, who has hired Citigroup to review selling the Hummer brand.
GM lists the fuel economy for its popular H1 and H2 as “N/A,” likely the primary factor in declining consumer demand for the beasts.
The Humvee was originally developed for military application, and went into consumer production in 1992 at the request of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who would go on to become the governor of California. Governor Schwarzenegger has since repented, “greening” his hummers and then selling some of them.
Governor Schwarzenegger has also become a champion of innovative policies to combat climate change and support the development of clean, renewable energies.
Let us view this as a reminder that there is hope for converting even the worst of climate offenders, and remain dedicated to doing just that.
Um, the HUMVEE is not produced by General Motors. It is produced by AM General.
Also, when the Hummer is finally retired will all of our fuel problems retire along with it. I ask because Hummer accounts. for roughly .0024 of total vehicle sales in the US.
Just though I would ask
despicable Hummer H3
I don’t know…my H-3 gets 20 MPG…I live in Hurricane Central (Miami) and I’m glad I have the H-3…
I’m sure the next time South Florida has another hurricane I’ll be towing lots of little cars at $50 a pop… !
de gustibus non est disputandum
I know that Gov. Schwarzenneger has talked about “greening” his Hummers, but I’m not sure that it’s actually happened…can you provide evidence for this assertion? Might not be so easy to do.
Robert-
Correct, AM General developed the HMMWV/Humvee, GM produces and markets the Hummer H1, H2 and H3.
Michael-
That’s great your H3 gets 20mpg (still pretty bad), I didn’t reference the H3 mileage, as you can see above.
Kit Stolz-
Here’s evidence that he sold them:
http://www.grist.org/news/daily/2006/09/22/5/index.html
As for evidence that he greened them, I doubt its out there either.
All of you-
In case you didn’t get it, the post was primarily intended to be humorous.
This post is humorous, but there is a serious undertones to the death of the Hummer. One is that the hummer was billed as a car that embodied freedom for Americans to indulge in oil gluttony. put on the same symbolic pedestal was the corvette and mustang as raw auto power and might.
Hummer while only about “.0024″ of total vehicle sales was more of a poster child of an industries mindset.
Now, long from GM, Ford, Toyota, and so on, used the shield of “customer demand” to continue to push gas guzzlers the industry is treading water. Detroit is drastically shifting their product line to fuel efficient vehicles. they have done enough damage and they are now realizing it. GM lost $18 billion last quarter, they are selling of bands (ironically Hummer is likely to be sold to TATA motors of India which recently produced a $2500, 59-mpg “eco-car”)GM is also pulling health care packages from retirees while Ford is scrambling to completely shift 4 plants previously manufacturing SUV and pick-ups to manufacture small low mpg models.
the industry is scrabbling the hummer is only the tip of the iceberg (pardon the global warming pun)
Hummers run on diesel. So you could convert them to run on vegetable oil. I knew someone who had one. He bought it used and drove it almost exclusively for off-roading in the Colorado mountains.
I looked into getting a diesel Volkswagen Rabbit/Golf, but apparently they aren’t selling them for a couple years. Might have something to do with switching over to the reformulated fuel. I think US restrictions on diesel are now stricter than Europe.
I think d Hummer is a great car. Who said all cars have to look fine?
The 4matics, X5s and Touregs of today will be looked upon tomorrow as
ugly machines.
As for fuel economy, anyone that buys a Hummer knows exactly what they
are buying.
I think the Hummer’s only sin is that it was designed to be different.
Take that as compliment GM and keep the Hummers coming!
i cant speak for the name brand hummer, but the humvee i will swear by. its gotten me through some pretty rough situations. but the only reason im taking the time to post a response is the picture you posted Mr. Tinker. it is in no way relevant to the topic of your article, how does a demolished suv in the rear-end of a school bus have anything to do with fuel economy or climate issues? have some heart man, those kind of images dont need to be seen past the day they were taken.
que triste ese accidente de la hummer eros ruiz
Here is the link on an article about “Green”ing your H1-3. Enjoy!
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/5/24/green_hummer.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/a_green_hummer.php&h=315&w=500&sz=47&tbnid=pjNB7SbLXe-d-M::&tbnh=82&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhummer&hl=en&usg=__YmcVB6GN1oo8RFRbSt6cTlaUDFI=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=5&ct=image&cd=1
sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In Loving Memory was chosen with tongue in cheek, but it reminds me of the love affair created with the “automobile” in general and ofcourse promoted for decades by the auto industry. I believe that until this love affair is abruptly ended, we will never makes the gains needed to curb the effects of Climate Change.
Yes, we can recycle, change our light bulbs and take our own cups but how many will GIVE UP using their automobile, or reserve it for special trips only?
When enough people quit driving even for 1 year, the whole world will wake up and realize that it is the thing destroying us.
There’s more vehicles that do the same as hummers, but waste less Diesel !
Well The Hummer became the symbol off the over consuming and polluting western civilisation. No regards to there numbers. Whenever somebody said 4×4 or SUV every liberal pictured a Hummer. And truly it is a car or more precisely a truck that is a bit too much. All it can do is be big. And honestly how many Hummers ever left the tarmac? It’s too big, too heavy and to low to do decent off-road. Especially since everybody equip them with oversized chromed rims.
If you wanna show off buy a Hummer, if you wanna off-road buy a Wrangler, a Land Cruiser or even a Land Rover. The are shorter lighter and far better in the terrain than the Hummer. I will not miss a vehicle that originally was designed for armed conflicts, and not civilian use, and mostly used by actors and “gangstas” to show off.
My H2 is the best vehicle I have ever had. It is a joy to drive and is extremely reliable and well built. As far as mileage is concerned, it’s not great but I’ve had worse. I didn’t purchase it for the mileage, I purchased it to enjoy and it has delivered 110%. For all those so called ‘green’ people who have so much negative to say about this wonderful vehicle, I can only say that you are entitled to your opinion, but you have no say in what the individual consumer can and cannot purchase. It’s an individual choice, and thank the good lord we still have that. Green is good, but so are all the other wonderful choices of unique colors out there. If this world was as green as you all seem to want, I think it would be a very bland place to live. Be careful what you wish for. GO HUMMER GO !!!!
Well I think you don’t fully know what you are talking about Nicky. Hummers are by far the best OFF ROAD vechicles ever to be purchased right from the dealer. The fact remains that the HMMWV or Hummvee was designed and actually succeeds at doing and maintaining 80mph OFF ROAD. In fact the very vechicles you mentioned were what the Hummvee competed against to win its contract for the military and left them in the dust in the proccess. Designed to take and last 13 years of the worst punishment one can put on a vechicle. Lets see your Land Rover or Jeep Wrangler do that. Wranglers will fall appart from rust after 10 years and thats not even bring it OFF ROAD all the time. As for the H2, H3, and H3T they still maintain the Hummer name OFF ROAD. Team Hummer won all stock races in thier H3. Don’t down talk a vechicle you obviously know little about. Also if you want to get into what waste more diesel just look at the Heavy Duty and Super Duty trucks that Ford Dodge and Chevy make they get the Same mileage as Hummvees and Hummers get and so does every other V-8 SUV and Truck.
The hummer was a fearful looking car, but that couldn’t save it. If GM could turn the hummer into hybrid, people might start buying it again.
Steven
The Hummer’s carbon footprint over it’s lifetime is only 60% that of the Toyota Prius.
The greatest emissions of any vehicle are those created in its manufacture.
The total lifetime fuel consumption in driving any vehicle is much less than the
fuel required to make it.
Figures from RACV (Australia – Royal Automobile Club of Victoria) “Royalauto” published test results.
(ROYALAUTO is the name of their magazine)
I won’t miss the “DUMMER.”
its no problem walking there soon
Innes and Kyle-
Just so you are both aware, the Hummer H2 is built on the Chevy Tahoe platform. They share very similar (mediocre) off-road capability.
It’s pretty hilarious that the highest bidder for Hummer was a Chinese special purpose vehicle company — a country whom we completely disassociate with American ruggedness and all things large — for a relatively inexpensive $500 million.
nah pinge chok jaja y una hummer q vale tan cara el q se compro esa hummer tienes mala leche
I seriously doubt GM is dropping the Hummer because of gas mileage or green planet issues. Its more likely that they aren’t making GM money. I mean every manufactor has its own gas guzzler right. I’m a big fan of GM and love the Hummer line so and would like to see it remain GM just like Dodge (also in bankruptcy) is keeping the VIPER.
Hello all,
I absolutely LOVE my H3!!! It protected above and beyond what a car would have on the highway. I had to come to a literal screeching halt on the interstate because the guy infront of me got cut off by 2 cars. The mercedes (2 door model) behind ‘didn’t see me?” and hit us doing 50mph. It was rush our traffic, thank goodness he wasn’t doing 70+.
His car—totalled, undrivable. Mine, drivable couldn’t see any real damage except for the smudge on the right bumper. the mercedes had hit and slid part way under my H3. Anyway. 3000 bucks and mine is perfect once again:) The leaf springs and bumper were replaced.
Hummers are built to take it and protect! BTW I also get 20mph highway. My in-laws vw’s don’t get that and have worse mpg in the city than I do.
Mine is that wonderful yellow, and the guy was not very bright…
I also had my children ages 2 and 4 in their 5 point seats–400 dollar car seat. Not a scratch on them.
I want to know how in the world and how fast the h2 was going to get crunched……that’s not something you see with hummers.
Take care I love being green in all other aspects of my life, but my cars I buy to last and to be safe. So it balances.
Side note:
Since I was the driver and I drive a manual, imagine all muscles in both legs braced and left arm tensed and braced then get hit at 50. Right hand on the stick. I do have a left shoulder injury and my knees are temporarily out of wack. I consider myself to be very lucky. Not the fault of hummer safety, it’s the best!! Imagine if I would have been driving a little “green” car.
Take Care
Yes, i off-road also
I think the picture is great. it’s what brought me to this page. I hate all huge gas-guzzling penis extensions that you can’t see around on the road. Sure, they’re fine if you need that sort of thing, but useless in the city. I live in Los Angeles & you wouldn’t believe how many ridiculously huge, unnecessarily raised trucks & crap that people drive much too fast for no reason except to prove they’re men by getting in front of every other car on the road. They’re spotless & tricked out, obviously never used for real work. I wish more Hummers would crash. & Explorers & Expeditions & Escalades & Avalanches. I know this will piss a lot of people off, but you’re a tool & I don’t care one lick about you. I think this page is funny & achieved its goal.
how did a school bus damage a hummer? i thought they were strong. did someone drop a bus on it? and another think how do u ‘green’ a hummer.
now, you guys convinced me, tomorrow i’m buying one!!!!!!
Mr Alexander Tinker, you are wrong. GM has nothing to do with the Humvee line. It is strictly AM General, never ever has GM had something to do with, not in marketing, not in building it & not in warranty.
AMG sold the HUMMER name to GM, not the Humvee name.
Also, AM General builds the H2 for GM at their Mishawaka plant in Ind.
GM supplies the parts to AM General, AM General builds it & then resells it back to GM. Gm is strictly the H3. The H1 is no longer built for the civilian market, but AM G does still continue to build it for the military. James
And to all you Hummer haters out there!!!! All the H2 is, is a Escalade or Yukon with a square body.
Before slamming the H2 or SUV line, step back & take a good look at your precious wasted fuel areas.
If you want to ban Hummers for bad fuel mileage–FINE, ban them. There are more beat to crap POS cars out there that gets worse gas mileage than the Hummers or SUV’s & there are thousands of them more than the Hummers.
But before you listen to some moron president, Hummer has sold a lot, wasn’t a disaster like he wants you to believe.
All those sports show you like to watch—NASCAR, DRAG RACING or any sport that requires the usage or wasting of fuel, BEWARE,, once
the SUV’s are gone, the next thing Mr Righteous Prez will be trying to ban is any sport wasting fuel for stupid reasons!!!!
All I know is whoever was driving that hummer “used” to be alive! He fuckin dead now! I call that green, one less at the pump tomorrow morning!
i absolutely love Hummer…….. it is a marvel
I think the bus won…
you guys are all pretty dim witted if you think the hummer is the problem. i have owned a hummer h2 and h3.
the hummer h2 gets around 10-14 mpg. and the hummer h3 gets closer to 20 mpg.
now. lets take a look at what the hummer h2 really is. for all you who think its a true hummer your wrong by a long shot. it is nothing more than a chevy/gmc tahoe/yukon with a slight face lift and few extra gadgets. and guess what? the same engine can be put it the following cars: suburban, tahoe, yukon, yukon xl, denali lines, cadilac escalade, chevy avalanche any chev full sized truck and same with gmc. ohh and not to mention the cars such as the corvette, and the new camero (not exactly the same engines but close versions of them) so why go after the hummer when it had the LEAST amount of them sold out off all the vehicles i just mentioned? huh?
now for the h3
it has a 3.5 litre 220hp engine. not to big for a midsized suv. all of chevy and gm’s mid sized suv and trucks (and even most of the cars can recieve the same amount of power and not much better gas millage) can recieve the same engine. so again why pick on hummer?? and lets face it if a frame built suv can get 20 mpg thats doing pretty good!
as for the hummer H1 Alpha (the ones built and produced by AM general) and used by our millitary. yes they are gas guzzlers big time. but hey you wanna send your little honda crv and pillot over there to iraq. well thats just sad. those hummers have to be powered by a very very powerfull diesel engine. why you ask? because there hauling around (just the vehicle itself) around 8,000 pounds thats not including the gear, men, guns, and whatever they might need. now think about how slow and sluggish your little gas saving go green suv’s are… now double or triple theyre weight. and have a group of terrorists with mighty big guns chasing you. do you really think thats going to turn out very well?? and not to go to far with this little example… but have you ever tried taking a small suv (the four or 6cylinder types) through a desert?? (lots of sand) well any somewhat intelligent person would realize that going through sand takes a tremendous amount of power. and not very many vehicles can do it. in this life there are some things worth spending lots of money on. and one if protecting our troops at any cost. we have to equip them with the absolute best vehicles we can. and AM general does.
so back off a little alright people. unless you want to be the ones fighting the war. or going to the parents and families of the fallen and explain why theyre loved ones are dead because you wanted to put them in a “eco friendly” vehicle out it war.
and in final here. as for the h1 alpha available to the public. it is sold with a 6.6litre diesel v8. note that this engine is around the same size and power that say chevy, gmc, ford, and dodge all put in their full sized trucks (being the 2500 and 3500′s)
and for a limited amount of years you could actually get a hummer h1 alpha with the gm diesel and transmission in it to make it more public friendly.
so leave hummer alone. theyre not the bad guys.
and one last thing. everyone who has seen or had a hummer knows there is absolutly no other vehicle that can even come close to what a hummer can do. none.
ouch….enough said
The hummer H1 was and is a great vehicle, in its intended milieu which was to go anywhere where the hazards may include driving through terrain where it is difficult even to walk and keeping passengers alive while people are attacking them with all kinds of lethal projectiles. It will bring you back home from the middle of the desert with 3 tires flat and the forth wheel missing entirely. It isn’t the greatest for freeway cruising. Fortunately the fact that it is too wide for the ladies to easily park and the engine hump means you can’t snuggle your significant other has kept most of those who don’t intend to use it for its designed purpose from sporting one as an ego toy.
The H2 is a Walter Mitty wannabe piece of excrement that has no justification for its existence whatsoever. It is THE key chain ego toy for morons who want to make an impression on other morons. It has sorry performance both off roads and on and if you get one and plan to go off road be sure get the optional roll bars and aftermarket 5 point seat belt harnesses and also to travel with another vehicle, so you will have something to pull you out when you get stuck, or in the probable case for those who idiots think they are actually driving something that performs like an H1, to give you a ride back to where you can call your insurance company.
.
The H3 is a smaller knock off of the H2 and the only thing you can say about it is that it has demonstrates just how stupid some car buyers are.
I am sorry the H1 will no longer be around but for those of us who really travel in the back country we can just get out our welding rigs and modify an old Jeep, Ranger or Toyota. Pop in some wide axles off an F250, Dana 60 lockers, roll bars, a winch, and balloon tires and make do quit well.
For the rest of you, stay on the paved roads.
Stephanie
You were safe in that H3 because of the type of accident ie you were stopped hard on your brakes rear in the air and the Benz rode under you . That don’t mean a thing. If you were moving and you clipped something at an oblique angel or you had to do a fast turn manuever you just like the Tahoe 4 runner and Exploder drivers out their are going to do a roll over , and that is the worse kind of accident going injury wise. SUVs are known for that. The SUV genre is a replacement for the station wagon that is no longer seen as the family car but it is not as safe. The best one is the jeep cherokee because it has a lower center of gravity. The absolute best four door plus room in the back for a hi way car is the mercedes e class 4matic station wagon but that will set you back 60 grand. If you don’t want the wagon but need the 4wd go for a MZB C class 4door sedan with 4matic which you can get for under 40 grand new.
Paying almost Mercedes type of money for a cheap chevy explorer knock off with a funny looking body is not the way to go.
Congrats however on having your kids in real good seats. It shows that mom has her instincts right where it really matters. Remember however that as far as keeping the one behind the wheel healthy and prudently spending money Hummer ain’t where it is at.
This is a very powerful,have rocking look car.
I really like this HUMMER.
this is my dream car. 1 day this will be my.
I have 2007 H3 and we have enjoyed it very much…..What i like about HUMMER it is UNIQUE, no other vehicle looks or feels like it. and I have owned many cars! Jeeps, Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Nissan, BMW and they do not ride like a HUMMER.
I took my Family this past summer coast to coast to New York City, we stopped at 18 states, drove on different terrain, & the H3 handled beautifully!
Thats unfortunate that GM is gonna get rid of the HUMMER line, well atleast i know mine was born in the U.S.A and this is where its gonna stay. But I wish the best for whoever is taking over……((MAKE IT BETTER!))
ALL YOU HUMMER HATERS, dont talk smack unless you have owned or driven one.
After seeing that accident I’m going to buy myself a schoolbus,and nobody will be upset because I drive a gas gusler. Just a bigger yellow Hummer thats all.
The current “Hummer” that you buy in the dealership next to the Chevy store or the Cadillac store is nothing more than a glorified Suburban.
And I’ve yet to see a one of them off-road or in the woods in the fashion that I see Jeeps and Rovers.
Goodbye and good riddance if you ask me.
If you need or own a Hummer, you’re compensating for some sort of inadequacy.
hi guys
I really think that everybody is wrong, some stupid people want us to feel guilty of having a hummer or SUV , eating lot of gas or making pollution, yes sure , please travel a little, and go to all those crappy country where every time a bus or a truck start, you don’t see anything for 30 second because of the cloud of smoke it produces .
the pollution is one thing , the consumption of gas another, if you want to buy a hummer or range rover , which need 20 liter by 100 km (sorry European) gas or diesel, , do it if you can afford it, and stop to feel guilty of anything .
Now for the pollution, majority of the new cars have reduce enormously the amount of CO2 they reject in the atmosphere, with the new technologies.
the man is a lot more dangerous cutting 1000s of square miles of trees everywhere in the world than the pollution of cars.
I am not able to buy myself a hummer, but if I had money I will like to have a H2 or H1 because of the design, seen so many times in Hollywood productions, or just for the pleasure to have a different car , regardless of the real good or bad qualities of the hummer.
hope it will help in the debat .
I Like Hummer’s car’s somuth
All these Hummer knockers are just a laugh its a sad world where individuality and freedom of choose what ever that choose may be, is threatened by people with no self determination who s idea’s and thought processes are swayed and manipulated by the trendy press and band wagon course hoppers, if any off these people know anything about climate change (notice they dont call it global warming any more!!!) they would understand that during the life of our planet the climate has changer more times than than years man has walked upright, and that green land is could green land because 600 years ago when the chinese first visited it it was GREEN. Dont believe the hype, be individual Love a Hummer, we love ours and will always, Hummer there is nothing like it and there lies the Joy
I speak proudly that I am a Hummer H2 owner and prior to that also owned an H1….I will drive nothing less….I am a female so, the “Penis Extension” comment is rather humorous to me.
I had a Land Rover that I totaled avoiding an animal on a country road. I flipped it 3 times. So, I could care less about the couple extra pennies going in my tank, my well being and those riding with me is far more important than anything else. I have been rear ended in my Hummer twice, once by a mini-van which was towed away never to be driven again, while the damage to my car was a bent license plate. The other one,I did not even feel, but the impact buckled the hood of a F150…
I drive the H2 for the safety aspect. It is well worth it…To see the photo above makes me ask many questions. How fast was the driver going? What were the circumstances of the crash??? Did the H2 have a rhino guard?
Bottom line, until 18 wheelers, pick-up trucks, SUV’s and other large, personal and commercial vehicles are on the road I will drive a Hummer H2 or H1. I could care less what anyone thinks or says. I find it a hoot! that people are actually making comments about “parts” and “service” availability when the doors close. THE US Military has more Hummers than any other country. Parts will always be available and service will never be an issue. Who or where we will be buying them from is another topic all together, I am still waiting to see who is planning to purchase the company, that will be interesting to say the least….
For me, it is about driving the safest vehicle for my passengers and myself.
Survival of the fittest…
Right the H2, H3 are chick cars!
My caddy gets 8 Mpg with the AC, and has more crumple zones than a shower curtain!
AM General builds the H2 and MMVEE. AM General used to build the H1 or the original Hummer, based on the HMVEE.
GM NEVER built any of them.
The H3 is loosely based on the Tahoe, but it is not the same vehicle, and it, and ONLY it were built by GM.
GM did enter into a marketing agreement to sell and service all Hummer branded vehicles. GM sold off the Hummer brand to China, but at this time I don’t believe it has been determined who will build them, or even if the H1 and H2 are part of the deal.
I am nearly sure the H1 is NOT.
Too bad people can post who don’t have a clue what they are writing about.
Most Hummer’s don’t have 100,000 miles on them, which is when you are to have the first tune-up. So they go out of business before I have to get my first tune-up?!!!! So where will I go for parts when I need my Hummer repaired? How many of these vehicles are in the junkyards? NONE? First person who wants to pay off my car loan can have my 2003 Black H2! 87,000 miles
The H2 is built under contract by AM General at a specially constructed plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, USA. GM’s GMT820 truck platform with the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, those vehicles differ in many ways and are constructed in three other GM plants. The H2′s final frame assembly is made up of 3 sections: The front uses a modified GM 2500-Series utility frame, the mid-section is all new and is completely boxed, and the rear section uses a modified GM 1500-Series frame which is upgraded for the 8,600 pounds.
The Hummer H2 is far from being a suburban or a yukon, as you can see the frame has been chopped and other parts of chassis have been added from heavy duty GM trucks to make it good off road. This is for all the idiots that think its a suburban because it isnt. All the parts for the H2 have no relation to the suburban other than a part of the chassis, engine and tranny.
even if the H2 was sitting on the stock yukon chassis it wouldnt make it bad offroad. That would be like saying even though the Shelby Cobra was made on a truck chassis it couldnt be a race car or go fast, And the cobra was made on a truck chassis to hold the bigger engine. So all you idiots out there you think you know what you are taking about when it comes to the H2, you really know nothing at all.
Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage
By Chris Demorro
The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them, their ultimate “green car” is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer.
Before we delve into the seedy underworld of hybrids, you must first understand how a hybrid works. For this, we will use the most popular hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius.
The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76 horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine found in most cars today and a battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping 295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially, the Toyota Synergy Drive system, as it is so called, propels the car from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more energy to get an object moving than to keep it moving. The battery is recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great energy efficient and environmentally sound car, right?
You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates, which netted the Prius an incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for Toyota, the government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which consisted of highway speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only 3.3 mph per second. The new tests which affect all 2008 models give a much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and acceleration of 8mph per second. This has dropped the Prius’s EPA down by 25 percent to an average of 45mpg. This now puts the Toyota within spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then half what the Prius costs.
However, if that was the only issue with the Prius, I wouldn’t be writing this article. It gets much worse.
Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the “dead zone” around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.
The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalists nightmare.
“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.
All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce “nickel foam”. From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?
Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet.
When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer – the Prius’s arch nemesis.
Through a study by CNW Marketing called “Dust to Dust” the total combined energy is taken from all the electrical, fuel, transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other factors over the expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles – the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.
The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it.
So, if you are really an environmentalist – ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available – a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage – buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.
One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.
Schwarzenegger wrote a glowing prologue to the book Two Billion Cars. So, that’s how much of a “convert” he is.
Meanwhile, Hummers are hardly very different from the rest of the automotive fleet, despite their looks and marketing. “Green car” is an oxymoron.
For all those arguing about GM having anything to do with hummers….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummer
For those people who insist on putting down others because of their choice in vehicles, yours is disgusting. No, I don’t know what kind it is, and I don’t care. People like you trying to tell everyone else what they should do or buy is one of the reasons our country was founded. If you don’t like it, go live somewhere else.
I love my H2. So thankful I bought it before all this mess.
JUSTIN – No lad, you don’t know what you’re talking about. The hummer is the best off road vehicle out there in my opinion. I’ve had them all over the years, but nothing compares to my H2 SUT. It is amazing. I live on Vancouver Island in BC & my truck has climbed every peak & off road death trap on this island. It can go anywhere and do just about anything. You can’t beat it. As far as the rest of you Green nuts, Climate change is a normal cycle for the planet. Humans have very little influence on the climate, no matter what you believe. Carbon makes up a tiny tiny percentage of Green house gas, like less than 3 %. 97 % of green house gas is water vapour. Are you going to get on your band wagon & demand that water be banned? Let’s all start a campaign to demand an end to rain. Your all nuts. HUMMERS RULE !!!!!!
woo great it appears that only us Hummer owners that see the truth, may be its because we are not sheep like the rest. Long live Hummer LIKE NOTHING ELSE
Love US cars (especially the oldies, and goldies, 57 to 99), love Hummer. There are lot of other things in which you can save power and be more eco friendly. I wish, firstly we could all be HUMAN friendly and LIFE friendly. All crap against Hummer, and GM, Ford, Dodge, will remain CRAP. Those Tiny-Veenee car lovers, the japanese crappy cars …….. you guys will never grow up …………….
holly shit!;/ for me hummer one is best
Support
“HUMMER”
Best land machine.
I knw if our heros culd look back
they wil give plus to
“HUMMER”
Hummers and other SUV’s can surpass regular car weight restrictions and therefore destroy our roads faster and, in case you anti-socialist sensationalists forgot, we collectively pay to have roads built for us, so we all pay more for your freedom of choice.
Of course they are safer, but they endanger people in smaller cars (which many of you that use it as a dick-extension probably like).
Off-roading, they cause reprehensible destruction to sensitive alpine, desert, and other fragile ecosystems, from destroying plant and animal life to compacting soils (preventing floodwater infiltration), and increased erosion.
And they’re god-awful ugly.
I’m now wondering, are the chinese now going to make them for the US Miltary?
Ted:
You don’t know what you are writing about.
I have a real Hummer, but it is not used for getting groceries, it is used to get to mountain tops where radio equipment lives.
I need something large with the room for tools, text equipment, and replacement radios, plus I have to get there in all kinds of weather.
I’m sure you would like your phones and Internet connection to work.
For going to the store, I have a Prius.
I have done a fair amount of off road travel, but I NEVER leave the trail. Most off road people I have met are the same, all believe in the Tread Lightly program.
Regarding ugly, well, that is up to you.
Finally, the Chinese company that was GOING to buy the Hummer brand has backed out of the deal. It appears there will be no new ones, though GM did build the H3, so they COULD go back.
AM General built all the HMVEES, Hummer (now called H2) and the Hummer H2 in Mishawaka, IN, near South Bend.
They have always built the truck and will continue to do so.
Ok Nicky and anyone lik him “Nicky
Apr 24th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Well The Hummer became the symbol off the over consuming and polluting western civilisation. No regards to there numbers. Whenever somebody said 4×4 or SUV every liberal pictured a Hummer. And truly it is a car or more precisely a truck that is a bit too much. All it can do is be big. And honestly how many Hummers ever left the tarmac? It’s too big, too heavy and to low to do decent off-road. Especially since everybody equip them with oversized chromed rims.
If you wanna show off buy a Hummer, if you wanna off-road buy a Wrangler, a Land Cruiser or even a Land Rover. The are shorter lighter and far better in the terrain than the Hummer. I will not miss a vehicle that originally was designed for armed conflicts, and not civilian use, and mostly used by actors and “gangstas” to show off.”
dude hello they are amazing. I’ve wanted a hummer forever bc they are big and no not to show off but to be in a very big solid vehicl that actually looks good too.
Im a southern girl not gonna show off and not ghetto so get it right sun.
The only real one is the original that takes after the military vehicle, which I would consider if I were to Purchase a vehicle to be used for off road. The H2 and H3 are Stupid family versions which resemble nothing like the original. I always thought the original was Very Cool and considered one Long before they ever went into production. With a set of twins I went for the RX330 instead, no off roading there. I still long for the Original even if it is a Military Reject.