So here is the Raser H2 Hummer. A Utah company took the turbocharged Pontiac Soltice engine, tied it to a generator, added some batteries, shrank the gas tank, did some cutting and welding, and VOILA, a huge truck that can reportedly get 100mpg, and run it's first 40 miles ENTIRELY on electricity!!

Just to be clear, at the moment this appears to be an entirely aftermarket solution, but you HAVE to wonder what the hell Ford, GM, and Chrysler have been DOING for the last 10 years.  I mean, somebody explained to me about when I was 17 that locomotives use their huge engines to run electric motors that drive the train.  I never looked up whether or not it was true, but it seemed like a great idea.  In fact, I want to build a bicycle just like that, and I have since then.  Eventually I will, but I'm always trying to get work done on my car first.

What makes this Hummer different is that the engine is used ONLY to generate electricity, which means it doesn't have to operate outside of it's peak efficiency range, and there are fewer losses in getting the energy to move the truck forward because more of the engine's work can be utilized; whatever energy produced by the engine NOT being used to move the truck forward can be store in a battery pack, which can also be charged at your WAY more efficient wall outlet.

Finally, we're going to start seeing these in smaller family cars as battery tech gets better and takes less room, and R&D starts pointing at superefficient mobile electricity generation.

Screw compact light bulbs, I want this Hummer!!