All About Hummer

Hummer got to my attention when some of my news search results revealed that GM is about to re-evaluate Hummer amid the growing shift in consumer preferences and escalating prices of petrol. So here’s a brief background info about the Hummer.

Hummer is a brand under General Motors. There are three versions of Hummer in the market, the H1, the H2 and the H3. The H1 Hummer is the version that is based on the military High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehilce or the Humvee. The H2 and the H3 on the other hand were introduced to cater to the civilian market. Hummers are considered as SUVs though other markets see Hummers as trucks. This is the only vehicle brand in the US whose entire model range comes standard with a low-range transfer case, high-ground clearance and off-road tires, making these vehicles truly perfect for off-road use.

Though Hummer is an iconic figure in the market and has its own fans, a number of criticisms have been thrown at this vehicle. Poor fuel economy. This vehicle have poor fuel economy. safety is an issue as well. Because of the vehicle’s weight, it takes longer and farther to stop in a number of braking situations. Compared to other SUVS, the Hummer lacks standard safety features like the child safety locks, child seat tethers, side air bags and stability control. Size is another issue that affects Hummer. Drivers and the enthusiasts may find it hard to park the vehicle.

GM Rethinks Hummer

In a growing admission that the growing cost of petrol may not be temporary, General Motors is about to rethink its position with regards to the production and the status of Hummer. This latest development came after General Motors Corp has announced Tuesday that it is closing its four truck plants that employs 10,000 workers. The move of the company doesn’t end with the closure of these plants, the company added that it could sell its Hummer brand, one of the more recognizable vehicle under the GM stable. The main reason why the plants are closed and the Hummer brand is to be re-evaluated is because of the escalating prices of petrol. The country’s largest automaker sees this factor as a permanent threat to business. The announcement was made by GM’s Chief Executive Rick Wagoner in a news conference before the annual meeting. He said that the company will close the four North American truck plants and will add shifts at two US plants that makes the more popular and more fuel efficient cars. The Chief Executive added that the company is reviewing the status of Hummer and added that the company could sell the SUV. Wagoner added;

High gasoline prices are changing consumer behavior rapidly. We at GM don’t think this is a spike or temporary shift. We believe that it is by and large permanent.

The move of the company to reconsider the Hummer comes as the price of petrol continues to hover around $4.00 in the country. And this development has led consumers to rethink their options as well and has led them to patronize smaller, and fuel efficient cars. This can be seen on the latest reports that reflects smaller cars from Honda and Toyota has eclipsed Ford’ F Series as the best selling vehicle in the country. In response to the obvious shift in preferences by the consumers, Chief Executive Wagoner outlined the company’s plan to cut car production by 500,000 to 3.7 million vehicles a year.

The Hummer is a military-derived SUV that has become synonymous with gas-guzzling excesses thru the years.

Powering the Chevy Volt

The Chevy Volt will use a hybrid battery, and here’s some information about the batteries that can be used on this car. Most hybrid batteries recharge by reclaiming energy when the vehicle brakes. These battery packs are designed to of service for the hybrid for between 150,000 and 200,000 miles, and warranties do come complete with these batteries. These batteries are covered for between 8 and 10 years, depending on the automobile maker. The battery that is featured on the Chevy Volt will give power to a 161 hp electric motor, and this motor is connected to the front wheels and the one that provide the motive force. This lithium ion battery can peak at 136 kW and will have a total capacity of 16 kWh. If the other hybrids that are available in the market right now charges by means of braking, the battery housed in the Volt can be charged by plugging it to any standard 110 V outlet that you can find on your home. For about 6 to 6.5 hours, the Volt battery is charged again. Once charged, the battery of the Volt can move you to a range of 40 miles. The use of the Volt is just perfect for short-distance drive. But if there is a need to drive it longer, then drivers need not worry as well. A full fuel tank on the Chevy Volt- this means 12 gallons of gas- can give you a range of 640 miles!

Tax-break for Chevy Volt?

It seems that General Motors is laying the right ground work for expected arrival of the Chevy’s Volt. One news report suggest that General Motors is seeking a tax break for the Chevrolet Volt. The company is lobbying Congress to set up tax credits for the extended range electric vehicles, such as the plug-in hybrid. If some of the speculations are to be believed, the tax break on the Volt can take away anywhere from $3,000.00 to $7,000.00 off the vehicle’s sticker price. Though General Motors have not announced a fix pricing for the Volt, some reports suggest that the price could be pegged at $40,000.00. A spokesman for GM, Greg Martin said that when that tax break do happen in the future, it won’t solely be available and exclusive for the Volt. Any tax break that will benefit the Volt will surely benefit other similar vehicles that uses the same technology. Nissan, Toyota and Ford have been working with policy makers right now to ensure that a legislative language includes extended-range electric vehicles and other future green-tech vehicles. Toyota Prius enjoyed tax breaks as well and this were part of the company’s initial push for the product in the market. This is a step to help spur consumer acceptance of the hybrid. But not all hybrid may be covered by tax breaks, if indeed it will happen. One such vehicle that isn’t expected to be included is the Tesla Roadster. This $100,000.00 plus ride is a high-end niche vehicle.

The spokesman for GM added that no action on the petition is expected until after the presidential election in November. The vehicle is still on target for the expected 2010 production.

Ford Sees Market Realities

Looks like the high price of gas is here to stay. And Ford sees the writings on the wall. The demand for their vehicles have been going down, no thanks to escalating gas prices. It’s a market shift they say, and Ford says that it is scaling down its production. A big reversal after the company has announced a surprising first quarter profits. But it isn’t just Ford who feels the pinch of the times. General Motors and Chrysler also saw their market affected. This is because these two companies heavily relies on profits delivered by their trucks and SUVs. The changing face of the market saw a diminished popularity for SUVs and trucks as consumers find ways to address escalating gas prices. Ford said that they would drastically scale back production and step-up cost-cutting efforts in response to the sharp drops in sales and sport utility vehicles. Ford has now forecasted that the industry demand for cars and light trucks will stand at 14.7 million 10 15.1 million vehicles and this figure is considered as the lowest in more than a decade. Alan Mullaly, chief executive of Ford said that they saw a real change in the industry demand in pickups and SUVs in the first two months of May. He added that this seems to be a tipping point. One indicator of the market performance is the sales of pickups. Pickup sales are closely tied to housing and construction activity. Last year the sales of pickups accounted to 14 percent of the US market, but this year the figure is down to 9 percent.

As a response, Ford will cut down its North American production by 15 percent in the current quarter, as well as 15 to 20 percent in the third quarter and 2 to 8 percent in the fourth quarter. Though production of pickups and SUVs will be cut, it is expected that Ford will increase its output of more fuel-efficient models like the Focus and the Fusion.

We Go Electric! A Peek A GM’s Chevy Volt

By 2010, expect to see a hybrid coming from General Motors. The Volt was first introduced in 2007 in Detroit and this model from the company is General Motors’ hopes in countering whatever advantages Toyota has made courtesy of its Toyota Prius. The Volt will have a plug-in capability for recharging from household electrical currents and a small gasoline engine that can keep the car batteries charged on trips longer than 40 miles. I did a little research on the Chevy site, and these are the things that I’ve got.

The Chevy Volt features that revolutionary E-Flex Propulsion System is considered to be far different if compared with the previous electric vehicle because this model will take advantage of the lithium-ion battery with a variety of range-extending onboard power resources that includes gas and E85 ethanol to recharge the car’s battery when you drive the car. This car is a plug-in range -extended electric vehicle that also features an on-board gasoline generator. The car has a large battery that stores power from the home electric outlet which is then connected to an electric motor. This electric motor is the one that directly powers the car. This battery can run for the first 40 miles and after some time, the on-board gasoline/E85 generator has the role of powering it to keep the battery from running out. Though they are both hybrids, the Volt is different from Toyota’s Prius. The hybrids that are available in the market right now are called parallel hybrids. These parallel hybrids use a small electric motor for low speed driving and then switch to regular gas for acceleration and faster driving. That’s where ‘parallel hybrids’ labeling come from. The two engines work side by side or in a parallel. The Chevy Volt on the other hand is what you call a series vehicle; this means that only the electric motor will power the car. The gas engine inside will only act as a generator, making electric to keep the batteries charged every time. If charged overnight, the car is expected to be driven to at least 40 miles on pure electricity and after that, the gas engine will enter the picture and will allow the car to be driven up to 400 miles on a full tank- that’s 6 to 7 gallons of gas. It will be a four-seater car and it is expected that the car will be sold and priced competitively. It is the goal of GM to sell it at less than $30,000.00 but the first versions of the Chevy Volt might be near $40,000.00.

A prototype of the Chevy Volt has already been tested and GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz said that the car had reliably met the objectives. He added that the car had been hitting the 40 miles on electric power. The dynamometer tests have been successful even under various thermal conditions. Mr. Lutz went even further and said that the battery of the car is the least of their problems. He explained further that much of the engineering challenge ahead has to do with the software. The production Chevy Volt will be slightly different to the original showroom Volt that was introduced in 2007. Partial teasers and a camouflaged Volt has been released in the market, adding fuel to some excitement and speculations. It has been reported as well that the Volt will be seen in Paris in US production specification. The presentation of the car will take place at the Paris Motor Show that is scheduled for October 4-19. So this means that the Volt will be arriving in less than five months. If the Chevy Volt will be coming soon, then better start saving up.

Pictured is a Chevy Volt E-Flex Electric Hybrid Concept Car.