When gas prices in California rose above $6 a gallon, I expected to see fewer big pickups barreling down the highway at 80+ miles per hour. The easy-to-understand economics of the situation would surely discourage people from driving like bats out of hell. Anecdotally, that didn’t happen.
Why the World's Largest Electric Vehicle NEVER Needs to Be Charged
Which brings us to the expected whining about the efficiency of the Hummer EV. A vehicle that has rightly been the subject of whining since its introduction. Yes, it’s an electric vehicle, but it’s also not all that efficient. It’s heavy, uses a fair amount of electricity to get anywhere, and it’s huge. In other words, it’s a Hummer.
All of this came to a head last week when the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) published research showing that the Hummer EV produces more CO2 than the Chevy Malibu. The paper cited the Hummer’s emissions figures based on a national power grid average, meaning it could be much less in some parts of the country and much more in others.
The Hummer EV’s inefficiency has been debated (again) since its unveiling. The fact that it emits more CO2 than a vehicle with an EPA-rated 32 combined miles per gallon isn’t ideal, but it’s also a lot better than reintroducing the Hummer as a gas-powered vehicle. That’s no excuse for GM to release something huge for the sake of hugeness. GM built the Hummer EV because people would buy it.
