Hummer Wins First Place in Environmental Design Challenge

[Jay Funk Dawg]

Hummer Wins First Place in Environmental Design Challenge 2015 Design would Help the World Breathe a Little Easier

Canadian Auto Press

The buzz around this year’s LA Auto Show has been impressive. The downtown convention centre was swamped with a large number of international and North American debuts of concepts and production cars. The event continues with the announcement of this year’s Design Challenge competition, hosted at the auto show. This year’s theme is environmental sustainability, with teams designing a vehicle for the year 2015 that has a net environmental gain, a life expectancy of 60 months and is 100-percent recyclable. The winner was the Hummer O2, designed by GM’s West Coast Advanced Design Studio.

As opposed to destroying the environment, a nasty reputation that Hummer has earned for its products' thirst and ground-crushing capabilities, the O2 was designed to help the earth. Aside from those grass-covered cars, the O2 is the only vehicle we know of with bodywork that’s capable of producing clean air. Each body panel on the SUV is filled with algae that takes in carbon dioxide and releases pure oxygen into the vehicle and then out to the environment. The algae are sustained in clear panels via a two-way valve that is located in the corner of each body panel. The valves are controlled by electronics that monitor the amount of CO2 and nutrition that the algae are receiving, and optimize the flow to aid in algae cultivation. Given that vehicles around the LA area spend 95-percent of their outdoor time in the sun, it only made sense to allow the car to photosynthesize.

But the O2 does more than just act as a mobile atmosphere filter, it’s also transportation. Keeping with the environmentally friendly theme, the O2 is powered by hydrogen. Each of the four wheels has a self-contained hydrogen fuel cell which powers hydraulic motors. The cells receive their power from a hydrogen tank that’s been placed in the centre of the vehicle.

On this theme of environmental friendliness, the design team even took the vehicle's wheels into consideration. Featuring Active Tread tires, the O2 takes the term "tread lightly" to a whole new level. Individual strips shift out and inwards to create a knobby pattern for improved grip when off-road, while the strips lay low and smooth to reduce rolling resistance while on paved roads.

If the O2 were ever to be built according to its original plans, it would be made of 100-percent post-consumer materials. The frame of the vehicle is made out of lightweight aluminum while the seats are to be made free of volatile organic components (harmful chemicals). From start to finish and everything in between, this could very well be the greenest Hummer ever conceived. The Hummer O2 is the second concept that GM entered in the LA Auto Show Design Challenge, and won with. Last year, the GMC PAD Concept, which took the form of a mobile loft, received first prize.

[mattm]

That kicks ass, really. It doesn't use gas, though, so it most likely won't be made (yeah, pessimistic viewpoint but that's what I observe in that area, see Who Killed the Electric Car)

Edited December 7, 2006 by Guest

[shainhouse]

That is fucking cool, regardless.

[Jared]

put me down for 2

[\/\/illy]

I wonder if all the guys from The Slip could fit in there with their gear?

[Jared]

maybe they can make a special "slip" editon. with like all ther songs programed into the radio

[mattyp]

everyone needs a good Hummer once in a while...

[SaggyBalls]

we could all use a fantastic Hummer.

too bad the current models just plainly blow.

[Jared]

we could all use a fantastic Hummer.

too bad the current models just plainly blow.

think of that all alone?

[SaggyBalls]

I thought of your mom for some inspiration.

[Jared]

to bad I don't have one, me and all of ontario share yourse