Filed under: SEMA Show, SUV, Hummer, Off-Road

Zero South, a company that popped up at SEMA in 2008, is back again with its Biodiesel Electric Hummer. The heavily modified H1 rides on tracks at all four corners – a necessary modification, since this Hummer is designed for an expedition to the South Pole.

The trip is going to be documented by Chris Paine, who’s best known for the film Who Killed the Electric Car? It was reported back in 2008 that the vehicle was going to be driven by Buzz Aldrin and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The film is called Drive Around the World and was shot in 3D. Drive Around the World is also the name of an organization that works to inspire an urge to explore while raising money for various charities. The H1 shown above is Zero South’s vehicle for participating in these expeditions.

The Zero South Biodiesel Electric Hummer was originally setup to run on B99 fuel, but Jay Leno joined the team and modified the powertrain so that a four-cylinder diesel Volkswagen engine would act as a generator to four electric motors. Each motor would then provide power to the individual track it’s coupled to. It’s one heck of a Hummer, and we invite you to check it out for yourself in the gallery below.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

SEMA 2010: Zero South Biodiesel Electric Hummer shows its guts originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA 2010: Zero South Biodiesel Electric Hummer shows its guts

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Hummer, Saturn

Heated windshield washer system: Good. Heated windshield washer system that gets so hot it could potentially cause a fire: Recall. General Motors has announced that it is recalling some 1.5 million vehicles built between 2006 and 2009 for just such a problem. A similar measure was taken in 2008, but apparently the fix performed for that recall hasn’t eradicated the issue entirely.

The models affected consist of the Buick Enclave and Lucerne; Cadillac CTS, DTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse; GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Hummer H2 and Saturn Outlook. In lieu of a fix, it seems that The General is offering to pay owners $100 to remove the heated washer fluid system in its entirety.

[Source: The Detroit News]

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles over heated windshield washer system originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles over heated windshield washer system

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Hummer, Saturn

Heated windshield washer system: Good. Heated windshield washer system that gets so hot it could potentially cause a fire: Recall. General Motors has announced that it is recalling some 1.5 million vehicles built between 2006 and 2009 for just such a problem. A similar measure was taken in 2008, but apparently the fix performed for that recall hasn’t eradicated the issue entirely.

The models affected consist of the Buick Enclave and Lucerne; Cadillac CTS, DTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse; GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Hummer H2 and Saturn Outlook. In lieu of a fix, it seems that The General is offering to pay owners $100 to remove the heated washer fluid system in its entirety.

[Source: The Detroit News]

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles over heated windshield washer system originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles over heated windshield washer system

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Recalls, GM, Hummer

General Motors has just announced a sizeable recall on Hummer H3 models manufactured between 2006 and 2010. According to Consumer Reports, the vehicles have defective hood louvers that could come loose over time and detach from the vehicle while driving. The tabs that hold the louvers in place have been found to break, causing vibration that can lead to total separation.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is warning H3 owners to be on the lookout for any vibration of the louver assembly, as that may be an indicator that a failure is likely. A total of 162,000 Hummers are covered under the recall, and General Motors says that technicians will apply an adhesive in order to keep the louvers from coming loose at no cost. Owners may contact Hummer at 800-732-5493 or visit the NHTSA recall site for more information.

[Source: NHTSA via Consumer Reports]

GM recalls 163k Hummer H3 models for hood issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 May 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM recalls 163k Hummer H3 models for hood issue

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Hummer, Off-Road

General Motors has already begun turning the lights off at its Hummer brand, though that may be no fault of multiple potential buyers. We’re not just talking interested parties from China here, either. According to brand enthusiast website HummerGuy, several American-based companies have expressed viable interest in snapping up the SUV-slinging manufacturer over the past few months. Even more surprisingly, all of the potential offers have reportedly fallen on deaf ears.

Both Raser Technologies and Electric Motors Corporation have supposedly made The General offers worth considering, and GM has left them unanswered. These whispers haven’t just been crawling around the web – they’ve evidently made their way all the way to Illinois Senator Roland Burris (above), who has promised to look into the matter himself.

While we’d be thoroughly surprised if such an investigation had any repercussions, we have to wonder why GM would say no both of the EV builders unless it thinks it can make more money winding down the brand by selling off tooling and manufacturing rights, or perhaps just avoiding bureaucratic headaches. Some experts believe GM might be worried about competition from future extended-range EVs, but we have a hard time imagining one of the world’s biggest manufacturers losing sleep over a couple of startups. Either way, as with Saab before it, there remains a sliver of hope for the brand, but we certainly wouldn’t bet on another eleventh-hour miracle.

[Source: HummerGuy | Image: Burris.senate.gov]

Report: Senator to investigate GM’s handling of Hummer deal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Senator to investigate GM’s handling of Hummer deal