Raser roadtests Hummer H3E, revises figures [w/VIDEO]
Raser Hummer H3E demonstration vehicle – Click above for high-res image gallery
Raser Technologies proudly showed off its extended-range Hummer H3E at SAE 2009 earlier in the year and loudly proclaimed its ability to travel for 40 miles in electric mode and achieve 100 mpg. While that sounded impressive, they have since had the opportunity to take their rolling Tonka-Toy-as-status-symbol out of the garage and do some actual real world (and by real world we mean somewhere in Utah) testing and have, as a result, revised some of their earlier numbers.
Instead of a mere 40 miles, the H3E comfortably trundled along for over 50 electric miles. And this wasn't one of those magical drive cycles that permits the likes of Nissan to say their new Leaf gets 100 miles to a charge. No ma'am/sir. The excursion in question covered that half century averaging 45 mph with the passing scenery including both rural and urban vistas and speeds reaching 65 mph. Throw into that equation a little acceleration testing, a bunch of equipment and a full complement of passengers and you can see why they were excited enough to write up a press release. With the higher range figure, and with the EPA and GM having recently demonstrated a new way to calculate miles per gallon for extended range vehicles, the Raser guys were forced to pull out their slide rules and rework that number as well. If they use 70 percent of the battery capacity (though it should be noted they only used 60 percent in this test) they can achieve 190 mpg! A useless statistic, to be sure, but since everyone else is doing it, what the heck. Hit the jump for a video featuring the test drive narrated by some dulcet-toned announcer guy as well as the aforementioned press release.
[Source: Raser via Green Car Congress]
PRESS RELEASE
Electric Hummer H3E by Raser Drives over 50 Miles on Batteries in Test Drive
Test Data Shows New Electric SUV Could Achieve more than 190 mpg in City Driving Applying Similar Method Used by General Motors
PROVO, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: RZ), an energy technology company, announced results from a recent test drive demonstrating over 50 miles of all-electric range by its electric Hummer H3E during a preliminary road test.
"I am very proud of our team and their work to reach this important milestone," said Jim Spellman, Vice President of Business Development. "Battery range of this innovative vehicle was more than sufficient to exceed our performance target of 40 miles in all-electric mode. In fact the H3E drove over 50 miles using only approximately 60% of the battery pack. This initial test indicates that the vehicle should easily achieve over 100 miles per gallon in typical local daily driving. The positive results from this test indicate that we can downsize our battery pack, reducing cost and weight of the vehicle, and still achieve the 40 mile all-electric range needed for optimized typical driving."
The course used for the test included a combination of city and highway driving with an average speed of 45 mph and with speeds up to 60 mph. The 40-mile electric-only range test is significant because a majority of Americans drive fewer than 40 miles a day. When driving beyond 40 miles, the vehicle's range extender would automatically generate the electricity needed to drive up to 400 miles. The range extender consists of a small gas powered engine which kicks in only to re-charge the batteries.
"It's important to note that Raser's electric Hummer H3E can achieve similar results to the Chevy Volt," added Mr. Spellman. "The main difference is that our electric powertrain can be used in larger vehicles, such as SUVs and trucks. In fact, if we were to employ the method we believe was used recently by GM to estimate city fuel economy for the Volt, the electric Hummer H3E could achieve more than 190 mpg in city driving using about 70% of the battery pack."
"The Hummer performed beautifully with better than expected fuel economy and great acceleration," said Kraig Higginson, Chairman, Raser Technologies. "Most importantly, it did all this with zero direct emissions running entirely on electricity."
To view video documentation of this test-drive, click on this link http://www.rasertech.com/test-drive
Raser plans to conduct additional testing to demonstrate the vehicle's estimated total range of up to 400 miles using the on-board range extender.
The electric Hummer H3E is a plug-in electric vehicle powered by Raser's proprietary E-REV (extended range electric vehicle) powertrain. The new electric powertrain replaces the vehicle's large gasoline engine with a powerful electric motor-drive system, Lithium Ion batteries and a small, efficient, gas/electric generator or "range extender. When driving less than 40 miles a day in a typical drive, the vehicle should actually use little or no gas with near zero emissions. The cost of electric fuel averages just about 60 cents per equivalent gallon or about one forth the cost of gasoline on average.
For more information on Raser's electric Hummer H3, see http://rasertech.com/hummer
About Raser Technologies
Raser (NYSE: RZ) 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. Raser's Transportation and Industrial segment focuses on extended-range plug-in-hybrid vehicle solutions and using Raser's award-winning Symetron™ 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.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: our beliefs about the performance and market applicability of our products; our beliefs about the status and enforceability of the Company's intellectual property; our beliefs about the strength of our existing and potential business relations in the motor industry; our beliefs about the strength and enforceability of our agreements, our beliefs about the performance capabilities of our technology; our beliefs about the capabilities, expertise and intentions of our partners; our ability to hire, train and retain key personnel; our ability to successfully complete field testing of Symetron™ technologies. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ, including, without limitation, the competitive environment and our ability to compete in the industry; the strength of our intellectual property; our inability to attract, train and retain key personnel; and such other risks as identified in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 31, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and all subsequent filings. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
meme 1:28PM (8/27/2009)
"And this wasn't one of those magical drive cycles that permits the likes of Nissan to say their new Leaf gets 100 miles to a charge. No ma'am/sir. The excursion in question covered that half century averaging 45 mph with the passing scenery including both rural and urban vistas and speeds reaching 65 mph."
So it wasn't a drivecycle at all. Why is this something to boast about?
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Throwback 2:25PM (8/27/2009)
Becuase it was a real world drive without any hypermiling action. I'm impressed, the H3 is a little more aerodynamic than a brick.
meme 9:07PM (8/27/2009)
And you know that it was "real world without any hypermiling action" how? Because they say so? Drivecycles are designed to stop people from rigging their tests, intentionally or otherwise, with hypermiling: you quote what test you drove and what result you got.
GoodCheer 3:05PM (8/27/2009)
Funny, when I keep my speed below 60-65mph, I think of it as (mild) hypermiling.
paulwesterberg 3:33PM (8/27/2009)
They drove around on flat ground on a road at the edge of a lake. This is not a real world test in Utah where most people use their 4x4 vehicle to drive up to the ski resorts.
A real test would involve driving up to park city.
Their average speed was only 45mph which is pretty much the sweet spot for vehicle speed before wind resistance becomes a factor. This vehicle would not be able to travel very far on the interstate.
Ernie 5:19PM (8/27/2009)
@paulwesterberg:
No, air resistance is a significant factor at nearly any speed. The stunningly poor aerodynamics of a cyclist is what limits their top speed to anything less than 80km/h. With an aerodynamic fairing and flat ground, 60 or 70 km/h is actually pretty easy.
What I question about Raser's little toy here is exactly how much does that battery cost? Because when you throw the budget out the window, you *can* build an electric car that will get you 600 mile range and get you from 0-60 in two seconds in the body of an HMMV. That this feat is possible is not in question. The feat that matters is "could it ever cost the same amount".
Tesla taught us that electric cars don't have to suck. The thing is that certain compromises have to be made if you want one to save you money at the pump.
Frederik 2:54PM (8/27/2009)
Still,
In my opinion it remains an insane amout of energy (500Wh/km) for something so simple as driving (=pushing air out of the way, and overcome some rolling resistance).
Normal EV's would use something between 100 and 200 Wh/km.
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Chris M 6:14PM (8/27/2009)
Well, I believe the RAV4 EV averaged about 300 wh per mile, it is a small SUV that is not very aerodynamic.
Using over twice the energy per mile compared to the Tesla Roadster or the Volt is to be expected in such a large ungainly vehicle. Makes me think they ought to consider downsizing to a more practical body size for their vehicle plans, instead of pushing the soon-to-be discontinued Hummer.
Tim W. 7:10PM (8/27/2009)
That's 500 Wh/mile not 500 Wh/km ... that equates to about 310 Wh/km ... which considering that the hummer is a huge and heavy brick, isn't an unreasonable number. Also, considering their claims are for local city driving only (according to the sticker on the side of the vehicle) I'd say it's a pretty good conversion.
The real issue is cost. If they averaged 500 Wh/mile, went 50 miles, and used 60% of their pack's capacity, then their pack is 40-45kWh. That's a lot of battery for not a lot of range compared to any smaller/cheaper conversion, or pure electric.
marco.muniz 6:01PM (8/28/2009)
Why a Hummer?!?!
Most people that want to by electric are at least semi enviornmental. Hummer branned and environmental do not equal.
People that usually buy Hummers could careless about the enviornment there more into themselves than anything else.
These are two major issues that will stop there product from selling.
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Ghen 8:52AM (8/31/2009)
"A useless statistic, to be sure, but since everyone else is doing it, what the heck."
If everyone is using the statistic in the exact same manner like the testing requires then its no longer useless comparing one vehicle to the other in the EV category. So now we can say stuff like the Hummer EV is closer to the Volt than the Leaf and heavier than both put together. Not bad.
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