GRAPEVINE, Texas — When Hummer rolls out its 2009 E85-capable H2 SUT later this year, it expects the move to help blunt criticism of its gas-guzzling lineup.
"A Hummer's off-road capability and care for the environment are in no way mutually exclusive," Hummer General Manager Martin Walsh said in a statement. "This is simply one more step in our effort to promote responsible adventure."
Later, Hummer spokesman Nick Richards told Inside Line that "we don't have official fuel economy numbers yet" and that he "wouldn't want to guess on the fuel economy of the E85 H2 SUT." Hummer says the 2008 Hummer H2 SUT gets about 12 mpg in combined city and highway driving. The EPA does not list official fuel economy numbers on a vehicle as heavy as the H2 SUT. E85 vehicles typically get lower fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts, but improved performance.
Richards said pricing on the flex-fuel H2 SUT would be announced later in the year but noted that the flex-fuel feature will be "standard and won't cost more." He said that an E85 H2 SUT will likely start at about $55,000.
Richards said that by 2010, every Hummer in the lineup will be either E85 capable or a biodiesel model. GM has pledged to double its flex-fuel production by 2010 and make half of its portfolio E85 capable by 2012.
"We're getting a lot of requests from customers to find alternatives to petroleum," Richards said.
However, the move is likely to be greeted with skepticism in some quarters. For example, author Robert Bryce, in a new book, A Gusher of Lies, takes aim at ethanol-powered vehicles. "Mr. Bryce gets to work demolishing cherished green beliefs about alternative energy sources," noted The New York Times review of the book earlier this month. "Ethanol, in particular, drives him wild. It is expensive to produce...and produces much less energy than gasoline while emitting more pollutants into the air. Detroit loves ethanol because it can use it to inflate fuel-efficiency ratings on their cars artificially."
Hummer released carefully crafted images of its flex-fuel H2 SUT in a forest glade next to a pond on Friday.
What this means to you: If this makes you feel better about the environment, your next Hummer may be flex-fuel capable. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
"A Hummer's off-road capability and care for the environment are in no way mutually exclusive," Hummer General Manager Martin Walsh said in a statement. "This is simply one more step in our effort to promote responsible adventure."
Later, Hummer spokesman Nick Richards told Inside Line that "we don't have official fuel economy numbers yet" and that he "wouldn't want to guess on the fuel economy of the E85 H2 SUT." Hummer says the 2008 Hummer H2 SUT gets about 12 mpg in combined city and highway driving. The EPA does not list official fuel economy numbers on a vehicle as heavy as the H2 SUT. E85 vehicles typically get lower fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts, but improved performance.
Richards said pricing on the flex-fuel H2 SUT would be announced later in the year but noted that the flex-fuel feature will be "standard and won't cost more." He said that an E85 H2 SUT will likely start at about $55,000.
Richards said that by 2010, every Hummer in the lineup will be either E85 capable or a biodiesel model. GM has pledged to double its flex-fuel production by 2010 and make half of its portfolio E85 capable by 2012.
"We're getting a lot of requests from customers to find alternatives to petroleum," Richards said.
However, the move is likely to be greeted with skepticism in some quarters. For example, author Robert Bryce, in a new book, A Gusher of Lies, takes aim at ethanol-powered vehicles. "Mr. Bryce gets to work demolishing cherished green beliefs about alternative energy sources," noted The New York Times review of the book earlier this month. "Ethanol, in particular, drives him wild. It is expensive to produce...and produces much less energy than gasoline while emitting more pollutants into the air. Detroit loves ethanol because it can use it to inflate fuel-efficiency ratings on their cars artificially."
Hummer released carefully crafted images of its flex-fuel H2 SUT in a forest glade next to a pond on Friday.
What this means to you: If this makes you feel better about the environment, your next Hummer may be flex-fuel capable. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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