Hummer H2

The H2 is the second vehicle sold under the Hummer marque of General Motors. It is a large SUV (though smaller than the Hummer H1) with room for five passengers and tremendous off-road ability. The rearmost part of the H2 SUV was modified to a pickup truck bed for the 2004 H2 SUT ("Sport Utility Truck").

The H2 is built at AM General's plant in South Bend, Indiana, USA. It was an initial success, but sales fell sharply for 2004.

Capabilities

With its high ground clearance, large tires, and low gearing, the H2 is capable of climbing over an 16 inch high step-up wall (without the sill steps shown in the pictured example). A massive truck frame and wide track appear to offer reasonable stability against overturning compared to some of the more common light truck SUVs, although objective tests have not been performed by the government or other outside parties due to its specialized vehicle class.

Application

Athough marketed as the kind of vehicle one would drive very rapidly across dirt roads on the Alaskan tundra, the vehicle has proved popular among prosperous suburban families due to its percieved robustness in a collision with more common vehicles, although its actual performance in such situations has not been subject to objective tests. The H2 is technically illegal for operation on many community streets, which restrict vehicles over 6000 lbs. to pickup and delivery only (the H2's curb weight is 6400 lbs, or some 2900 kg). These laws are not being enforced against the H2, however.

Some limousine operators have purchased modified "streched" versions as a novelty vehicle for carriage of passengers.

Accessories

The most common accessory added to the H2 is a pipe step rail, shown on the vehicle in the illustration above. Without this, children and a large proportion of the adult population would have difficulty in entry and exit. This, of course, reduces its ground clearance and, consequently, its wall and rock climbing capabilities – which, in any case, appear to be of little actual interest to most purchasers.

Mileage

For typical travel on improved roads between urban and resort areas, users report mileage of between 14 and 17 miles per U.S. gallon (MPG), which converts to between 6 and 7 km per liter. Worst case urban driving is said to be in the range of 8 to 11 MPG (3.4 to 4.7 km per liter).

Most owners of this vehicle appear to be quite satisfied, with the only prevalent complaint being that the combination of poor fuel efficiency and (considering the type of vehicle) a rather small tank (32 gallons, or 120 liters) requires frequent stops for refueling.

Fans

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is a big fan of the original (military vehicle type) Hummer H1. When he came into office he had a collection of seven, now reduced to three. He has offered one of these for conversion to hydrogen power, as part of a promotion of introducing a network of roadside hydrogen refueling stations. These are to form the beginning of a hydrogen economy within California. Such a conversion of the H1 will likely use hydrogen fuel at a rate of six to eight times more than a purpose built Prius-like vehicle. It also appears likely that the hydrogen will come from the inefficient thermal conversion of natural gas, already in tight supply in California due to its use in conventional (steam and gas turbine) electrical power plants in preference to more active promotion truly "green" energy such as distributed photovoltaic and other solar power and wind farms. (Governor Schwarzenegger has in 2004 proposed that 50 percent of new housing include some form of solar power, which could be a big boost for these technologies nationwide. This will require new legislation, however.)

Critics

Tax favoritism

The social aspects of this vehicle are "hot", engendering an intense dislike bordering on hatred among those of a "green" disposition. Critics point out that the sucess of this vehicle is largely due to U.S. tax policies for the self-employed (e.g., most dentists, lawers, and many doctors), which offer incredible tax write-offs (essentially subsidies for the prosperous) for vehicles over 6500 lbs. The weight limit for qualifications was intended to restrict the tax benefits to "working" vehicles – medium size pickup trucks and vans for cartage of tools and materials by craftspersons such as masons and carpenters. This restriction was intended to reduce the likelhood of the exploitation of the tax benefit for the purchase of luxury personal vehicles. General Motors in response (some say in anticipation) created the H2 as a luxury heavy vehicle and has had great success with this program due to the massive tax subsidy and have intensely marketed the H2 to suburban "soccer moms" ("Put on something a little more metal"). The tax benefits were increased for the 2004 tax year by the U.S. Congress at the behest of the presidential administration of George W. Bush. A prosperous and qualifying purchaser of this vehicle may receive subsidies of between USD $30,000 to $40,000 (paid for by other taxpayers, including those of modest income) for this vehicle while a purchaser of the economical and low poluting Prius or similar hybrid vehicle would receive about $3000.

One congressional proposed solution (unlikely to be enacted) to this favoritism is to increase the weight limit to 14,000 lbs. Some cynics suspect that the marketing program for three axle vehicles for "soccer moms" is already in the design stages.

Resource use

Said by critics to have the aerodynamics of a brick, its poor fuel efficiency and consequent contributions to global warming and U.S. petroleum problems cause the vehicle to be detested by environmentalists. The Environmental Protection Agency does not test vehicles of this size and its fuel consumption is not counted in the manufacturer's CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) ratings. General Motors has recently had to introduce financial incentives on this vehicle. Early in its production history demand exceeded production and any manner of discount was difficult to find. While some might point to the recent increase in fuel prices as the reason for the demand reduction, this seems unlikely given the economics of the vehicle and the type of buyer likely to purchase it (prosperous and definintly not of a "green" inclination). It might not be the fuel prices that are being considered by potential purchasers but a realization of contributions of this type of vehicle to geotechnical (climate change) and geopolitical (perpetual war) matters, or so a critic would hope. It is possible that the market for this type of vehicle has simply been saturated - all those who really wanted one and were cabable of obtaining it now have one, leaving a residual market of less enthusiastic purchasers (The "Fans" section has been around since August 19, 2004 and no one has yet filled in a word of it.)

Safety issues for occupants of other vehicle types

Many casual observers note that these vehicles tend to be driven agressively in urban environments – most likely due to the characteristics of the buyer rather than the vehicle. With a mass three times that of a subcompact automobile and almost twice that of a robust sedan, the laws of physics appear heavily stacked against almost any other vehicle. The bumper and brush bar, due to their high bottom clearance, will likely override the protective door collison beams of most sedans, ensuring maximum possible risk of injury (likely fatal in most cases) to at least some of an automobile's occupants in a side collision. There has, however been little concern for such matters within the regulatory or legislative communities, as witnessed by the legality in most states of