Raser roadtests Hummer H3E, revises figures [w/VIDEO]

Raser Technologies proudly showed off its extended-range Hummer H3E at SAE 2009 earlier in the year and loudly proclaimed its ability to travel for 40 miles in electric mode and achieve 100 mpg. While that sounded impressive, they have since had the opportunity to take their rolling Tonka-Toy-as-status-symbol out of the garage and do some actual real world (and by real world we mean somewhere in Utah) testing and have, as a result, revised some of their earlier numbers.

Instead of a mere 40 miles, the H3E comfortably trundled along for over 50 electric miles. And this wasn't one of those magical drive cycles that permits the likes of Nissan to say their new Leaf gets 100 miles to a charge. No ma'am/sir. The excursion in question covered that half century averaging 45 mph with the passing scenery including both rural and urban vistas and speeds reaching 65 mph. Throw into that equation a little acceleration testing, a bunch of equipment and a full complement of passengers and you can see why they were excited enough to write up a press release. With the higher range figure, and with the EPA and GM having recently demonstrated a new way to calculate miles per gallon for extended range vehicles, the Raser guys were forced to pull out their slide rules and rework that number as well. If they use 70 percent of the battery capacity (though it should be noted they only used 60 percent in this test) they can achieve 190 mpg! A useless statistic, to be sure, but since everyone else is doing it, what the heck. Hit the jump for a video featuring the test drive narrated by some dulcet-toned announcer guy as well as the aforementioned press release.

[Source: Raser via Green Car Congress]

The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience.

PRESS RELEASE

Electric Hummer H3E by Raser Drives over 50 Miles on Batteries in Test Drive

Test Data Shows New Electric SUV Could Achieve more than 190 mpg in City Driving Applying Similar Method Used by General Motors

PROVO, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Raser Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: RZ), an energy technology company, announced results from a recent test drive demonstrating over 50 miles of all-electric range by its electric Hummer H3E during a preliminary road test.

"I am very proud of our team and their work to reach this important milestone," said Jim Spellman, Vice President of Business Development. "Battery range of this innovative vehicle was more than sufficient to exceed our performance target of 40 miles in all-electric mode. In fact the H3E drove over 50 miles using only approximately 60% of the battery pack. This initial test indicates that the vehicle should easily achieve over 100 miles per gallon in typical local daily driving. The positive results from this test indicate that we can downsize our battery pack, reducing cost and weight of the vehicle, and still achieve the 40 mile all-electric range needed for optimized typical driving."

The course used for the test included a combination of city and highway driving with an average speed of 45 mph and with speeds up to 60 mph. The 40-mile electric-only range test is significant because a majority of Americans drive fewer than 40 miles a day. When driving beyond 40 miles, the vehicle's range extender would automatically generate the electricity needed to drive up to 400 miles. The range extender consists of a small gas powered engine which kicks in only to re-charge the batteries.

"It's important to note that Raser's electric Hummer H3E can achieve similar results to the Chevy Volt," added Mr. Spellman. "The main difference is that our electric powertrain can be used in larger vehicles, such as SUVs and trucks. In fact, if we were to employ the method we believe was used recently by GM to estimate city fuel economy for the Volt, the electric Hummer H3E could achieve more than 190 mpg in city driving using about 70% of the battery pack."

"The Hummer performed beautifully with better than expected fuel economy and great acceleration," said Kraig Higginson, Chairman, Raser Technologies. "Most importantly, it did all this with zero direct emissions running entirely on electricity."

To view video documentation of this test-drive, click on this link http://www.rasertech.com/test-drive

Raser plans to conduct additional testing to demonstrate the vehicle's estimated total range of up to 400 miles using the on-board range extender.

The electric Hummer H3E is a plug-in electric vehicle powered by Raser's proprietary E-REV (extended range electric vehicle) powertrain. The new electric powertrain replaces the vehicle's large gasoline engine with a powerful electric motor-drive system, Lithium Ion batteries and a small, efficient, gas/electric generator or "range extender. When driving less than 40 miles a day in a typical drive, the vehicle should actually use little or no gas with near zero emissions. The cost of electric fuel averages just about 60 cents per equivalent gallon or about one forth the cost of gasoline on average.

For more information on Raser's electric Hummer H3, see http://rasertech.com/hummer

About Raser Technologies

Raser (NYSE: RZ) is an environmental energy technology company focused on geothermal power development and technology licensing. Raser's Power Systems segment is seeking to develop clean, renewable geothermal electric power plants and bottom-cycling operations, incorporating licensed heat transfer technology. Raser's Transportation and Industrial segment focuses on extended-range plug-in-hybrid vehicle solutions and using Raser's award-winning Symetron™ technology to improve the torque density and efficiency of the electric motors and drive systems used in electric and hybrid-electric vehicle powertrains and industrial applications. Further information on Raser may be found at: www.rasertech.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: our beliefs about the performance and market applicability of our products; our beliefs about the status and enforceability of the Company's intellectual property; our beliefs about the strength of our existing and potential business relations in the motor industry; our beliefs about the strength and enforceability of our agreements, our beliefs about the performance capabilities of our technology; our beliefs about the capabilities, expertise and intentions of our partners; our ability to hire, train and retain key personnel; our ability to successfully complete field testing of Symetron™ technologies. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ, including, without limitation, the competitive environment and our ability to compete in the industry; the strength of our intellectual property; our inability to attract, train and retain key personnel; and such other risks as identified in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 31, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and all subsequent filings. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this press release.