March28
GM took the opportunity on Friday to announce all Hummer models will have biofuel capability by 2010. The announcement took place at the same time as a Classic Chevrolet / Hummer in Dallas, TX became the first new car and truck dealership in the U.S. to open public biofuel pumps. To celebrate the opening, GM had a 2009 H2 SUT on-hand at the dealership, which is E85 capable. The SUT, along with the regular H2, represent just two of the 15 FlexFuel models GM will offer for the 2009 model year. The public first saw an E85-capable Hummer in the form of the HX Concept.
The station, called Classic Clean Fuels and located in nearby Dallas, TX, comprises nine dedicated pumps that cost over half a million dollars to install and deliver E85, E10 and biodiesel.
The dealership, thanks to an on-site E85 pump currently under conversion, will deliver all new FlexFuel vehicles with a tank of E85. In addition, an Enterprise Rent-A-Car branch located within the dealership will devote a quarter of its fleet to FlexFuel vehicles that will be filled up exclusively at the new station. Less than 1 percent of U.S. filling stations offer E85.
“We sell a lot of trucks capable of running on alternative fuels like E85, and even though there has been some increased availability, we saw a need for more E85 pumps where drivers could fill up,” said Charles Martin, general manager at Classic Chevrolet / Hummer, in a statement.
I'd be happy to fill up a new HX there, just build it!
I see a serious flaw with the design, as I thought it is mandated that tires be covered or have mudflaps. I would hate to be following the HX as the rocks thrown off the tires are major paint chippers to those who are unfortunate to be following the HX. However, that will probably only last a while for an HX driver…until someone kicks their ass for throwing stones.
There has to be a more inexpensive way to say, "I support our troops."
Build it and they will come…
They'll all have FlexFuel engines? Awesome so that means they'll get 8 mpg instead of 4?
no it means they'll be able to us E85, which is more expensive to produce, but taxed less, there is a station by me e85 was about 3 bucks a gallon, vs the current 3.30ish for 87 octane in the area.
Biofuel ruins the planet just as much as gasoline
Hasn't it been established that E85 is not an effective solution? Why is GM so obsessed with it?
To me there really is no solution but driving less, and using our feet more. Everything has its negative side.
What is so negative about walking? You see so much more, it is more healthful, you meet more people you create less pollution, but if you are dumb enough to buy a house in a development 3 miles from the nearest store then that is your own fault
Just what the world doesn't need.
Good point vincenzo. GM is scrambling for some reason I don't really understand to give Hummer the illusion of being green. The catch 22 in all this is I don't think Hummer drivers care. Safe to say if the only time the majority ever even see gravel is during road construction then you're pretty much left with the macho/status thing. I'm not saying that's bad, we are living in a free country, but if GM honestly thinks sales are going to rise dramatically because of E85 I believe they're sadly mistaken.
It's not about increasing sales, it's all about appearances of being a green car company. Nobody will buy the E85 Hummers for their capability, they'll buy them to point at the badge and show their buddies how environmentally conscious they are while driving "badass" wheels.
I dont care if it runs on E85 or on baby seals, I just want that car.
Forget E85 - give us diesel.
E10 and E85 are both nothing more than a tremendous load of horse shit spoon fed to consumers by our glorious federal government. Fuel economy with either is in the crapper. Both take more petroleum to produce than they replace. This is just another government scam to screw us all using the "environment" as a tool to get there.
Bio diesel from rape seed is a much better plan, just there are too many idiots in the USA that think any diesel is bad. They have no clue.
BlackX How very clever of you
gbb, I think you need to do some research. Only when you add up all the energy inputs from corn based ethanol do you come out that far behind. There was a really interesting article in Motor Trend outlining one company's efforts to produce ethanol from bio waste (switch grass, old tires, old water bottles, etc). They figure they can do ethanol for about a buck a gallon, using about a gallon of water in the process.
Won't you be pissed when that fuel hits the pumps and your POS won't run on it!
injunraiv,
I agree with you, but i thought it took 3 gallons of of water to produce 1 gallon of ethanol, and because of this there were concerns producing this fuel would have an impact on water supply's, no?
The Stig: exactly. I'd rather see them focus on bringing proven Diesel technology to the broad North-American public rather than invest in, what could be, a troublesome Ethanol production.
This E85 bullshit is starting to irritate me. My understanding is that it's barely more efficient and equally noxious, and it's driving the price of cornflour so high that MExican families are resorting to prostituting their little daughters to pay the electric bill
deantj: but the farmers in Iowa and Nebraska are happy about it
Hummer needs to drop the H2 completely, I have noticed the prices of used H2s plummeting here in the NW. Bring out the HX, and lighten up the H3. Cellulosic ethanol is the way to go.
I wonder who has GM's balls
jackjimturkey: did the Mexicans' daughters move to Iowa and Nebraska?
on a subway today I saw someone having newsweek or easy read of sorts with headliner explaining that ethanol is any better for the planet then oil. This flex fuel is good for farmers only. But it will hurt those who don't grow corn - animal feed is getting as expensive as diesel fuel.
The truck in the picture does not look like truck for a working stiff. Nor it is transportation vehicle: it is as comfortable for 4 as Corolla or Cavalier. If GM wants to help planet and stop financial bleeding they have to stop throwing good money after bad: it is realization time that monster truck era is history.
The hx is designed to compete with the wrangler, I see plenty of working stiffs driving those.
Funny GM is so obsessed with junk science, causing more energy to produce than what we get in the engine. Stop trying to come out with something to rival Hybrid, at least not E85. E85 is just part of the propaganda for less reliance on MidEast Oil. What would happen if the cornfields are wiped out in natural disaster? Long line at gas pump again? C'mon GM, you've got to do better than this.
Eddie, what working stiff can afford a two seater with mileage of Ferrari, price tag of a cheap Porsche and performance characteristics of '92 Civic? I cant see anyone who works for his money to piss it away so foolishly. Perhaps it's me, but then again it's not like GM is selling those monsters. Passing yesterday by port in Elizabeth NJ I could not help to notice how many monster trucks are sitting in the port. We are not talking dealer lot even: port is filling up.
economy goes down, food prices go up, whats next? raining cats and dogs? taking all that corn into fuel?
Nut, The HX seats four, with a pair of bucket-type seats in the second row. The rear seats mimic the front seats' design and can be removed to generate more cargo room. All the seats feature a four-point, racing-style safety harness.
Lets hope it gets good mileage and costs around 30k.
Well la-de-da… they're making this one a flex-fuel vehicle which means you're gonna take an engine that runs off of lower-grade gasoline and then run it on fuel that's rated at 105 octane. BRILLIANT! If they're gonna run the engines on this stuff they could at least tune the engines properly. A nice variable-compression engine would be perfect for this. So you're basically gonna loose fuel economy and think that you're saving the environment and saving money when you're not… brilliant, just fantastic.
I always get pissed when I see GM and Ford making cars that can run on E85 but are better suited to just stay on 87 octane fuel. Now if I can convert my old benz to run on E85 that'll be much better… a decent HP gain at the cost of raising the compression a bit.. eh… it's a weekend car so who cares?
Diesel needed
LaCa: No, but the economies of those two states depend to a good extrent on corn.
Actually bio-fuel's biggest contribution is less reliance on foriegn oil. Which is a good thing for the states. That has been stated many times. It is not the cure all but neither is hybrids. Hydrogen-wait and see.
lacalover-there is know way you are a car lover. Sounds more like you are an enviromental wacko. You can't be both.