2003 Hummer H2 Base Sport Utility 4-door 6.0l on 2040-cars

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For EV drivers, realities may dampen the electric elation

The Atlantic, a decades-old monthly journal well-regarded for its intelligent essays on international news, American politics and cultural happenings, recently turned its attention to the car world. A piece that ran in The Atlantic in October examined the excesses of the GMC Hummer EV for compromising safety. And now in its latest edition, the magazine ran a compelling story about the challenges of driving an electric vehicle and how those experiences “mythologize the car as the great equalizer.” Titled “The Inconvenient Truth About Electric Vehicles,” the story addresses the economics of EVs, the stresses related to range anxiety, the social effects of owning an electric car — as in, affording one — and the overarching need for places to recharge that car. Basically, author Andrew Moseman says that EV life isn't so rosy: “On the eve of the long-promised electric-vehicle revolution, the myth is due for an update. Americans who take the plunge and buy their first EV will find a lot to love Â… they may also find that electric-vehicle ownership upends notions about driving, cost, and freedom, including how much car your money can buy. "No one spends an extra $5,000 to get a bigger gas tank in a Honda Civic, but with an EV, economic status is suddenly more connected to how much of the world you get to see — and how stressed out or annoyed youÂ’ll feel along the way.” Moseman charts how a basic Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck might start at $55,000, but an extended-range battery, which stretches the distance on a charge from 230 miles to 320, “raises the cost to at least $80,000. The trend holds true with all-electric brands such as Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid, and for many electric offerings from legacy automakers. The bigger battery option can add a four- or five-figure bump to an already accelerating sticker price.” As for the charging issue, the author details his anxiety driving a Telsa in Death Valley, with no charging stations in sight. “For those who never leave the comfort of the city, these concerns sound negligible," he says. "But so many of us want our cars to do everything, go everywhere, ferry us to the boundless life we imagine (or the one weÂ’re promised in car commercials),” he writes. His conclusions may raise some hackles among those of us who value automotive independence — not to mention fun — over practicalities.

Mil-Spec 006 Hummer H1 born into the darkness

Mil-Spec Automotive is up to build number six of its Hummer H1s, this one a customer commission for someone with the last name "Bane." This marks the halfway point in the Launch Edition series of 12 models that will run through to next year. Per customer request, the template started with Build 002, also a four-door slantback, but deviates in a few functional ways. That starts with the four-door slantback variant, but this one gets a much larger rear window. The Bold Body and Tire Package stretches horizontal footprint by eight inches, the bodywork by seven inches. Fender flares hulk over 20-inch gun-black rims wearing 38-inch Nitto Grappler tires. Build 006 shuns the executive interior package on Build 002, putting its cushiness on the outside with the Air-Ride Package. That installs eight-way adjustable shocks all around and automatic ride height adjustment. Sounds like the buyer could need it, since the newest unit also gets the 12K Package that ups GVWR to 12,000 pounds, with beefier axles, springs and braking. A 6.6-liter Duramax diesel sits beneath the $1,299 functional hood scoop, the oil-burner's output rated at 500 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque. And no road trip to Sonora or Medellin would be complete without a 12,000-pound Warn winch, lavish front brush guard and heavy duty rear step bumper, aluminum snorkel, 60-inch overhead light bar, and Paracord interior door handles. We'd think a locking front axle would be a given on this kind of rig, but apparently this H1 makes do with an ARB air locker on the rear. The brief for the design was "simple yet dramatic." Job done, we'd say, with Build 006 terrorizing the ground like black thunder. The price gets attention just as well: $295,039. This kind of drama doesn't come cheap. Featured Gallery Mil-Spec 006 Hummer H1 View 13 Photos News Source: Mil-Spec Automotive Hummer Truck Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Special and Limited Editions hummer h1

Hummer H2 burns to a crisp; now the owner won't need the hoarded gas

Here's your daily Autoblog public service announcement: Don't hoard gasoline, but if you do, absolutely do not let 20 gallons of it catch fire inside your 2004 Hummer H2. You might end up, as a Florida owner learned the hard way, with a very crispy Hummer. According to CBS affiliate WABI, in Citrus County Fire Rescue was called out to the scene at a Homosassa, Florida, Texaco station yesterday morning. The Hummer owner had just filled four five-gallon jerry cans' worth of fuel and placed them in the back of the vehicle. It's not clear what started the fire, but when emergency crews arrived the SUV was already, as the kids say, fire. The vehicle was a total loss. Photos show it completely singed and missing the hood and windows. One fender sat forlornly on the ground nearby. One injury was reported, but the individual refused to be taken to the hospital. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection was called in to handle the fuel cleanup. There's been a run on gasoline across the eastern seaboard due to a shortage caused by Colonial Pipeline, one of the major refined petroleum pipelines on the East Coast. Due to lax cybersecurity measures, the company fell victim to a ransomware attack, which shut down its operations over the weekend. Hackers based in Russia demanded a payout of $5 million to release control of Colonial Pipeline's computer systems, and Colonial paid up and has since resumed operations. Between fires, fights and admonitions by politicians not to hoard — probably one of the few things Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Joe Biden agree on — that's probably good advice to follow. Gas stations should be resupplied in many affected areas within days. In Tampa, Florida, a third of the city's gas stations were out of fuel on Thursday. In Miami, outages stood at nearly 40% and growing as residents rapidly filled up their tanks. The outages would make sense if the largest U.S. gasoline pipeline served those cities. But it does not. South Florida is seeing the worst outages among areas not directly impacted by the line closure. "If you want a perfect case for where hoarding has made the situation what it is, that's southern Florida," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "They should not be having any issues at all - they get gasoline from a barge." Statewide, about a third of gas stations are out of product, according to GasBuddy.