Hummer H2? Ho-hum!

I read yesterday that Navistar International has released an SUV larger than the Hummer H2. Much larger. The International 7300 CXT is for you if your weekend "to do" list includes hauling up to six tons with a 220 HP diesel engine that gets about 8 mpg. Lucky that comes with a 70 gallon fuel tank. You might have to get a special permit from your DMV for the airbrakes in order to drive it. You'll also have to pay over $250 per tire should you damage the giant 11R22.5 tires while off roading with your 8-foot pickup bed full of whatever it is your spouse wanted you to haul. I have no idea what the rims cost on these beasts.

But I have to admit, it is pretty. If you like trucks. Big trucks. And this is a BIG TRUCK:


 

The release tells me that the industry is confident that those American consumers who can afford the $95,000 base price are not deterred by $2/gallon prices. There's even one on eBay today with a starting bid of $99,900 - with 7 hours to go on the auction, it still has no bids, but being eBay, I'm confident that if it moves, it will all happen in the last few minutes...

In other news (and perhaps compensatory, in emissions) is an H2 Hummer converted to run on hydrogen, bio-diesel, vegetable oil, or compressed natural gas. Amazing - that way you don't have to worry about where the next hydrogen filling station is, as the straight, boring H2H hydrogen-only powered Hummer would have to do...

Of course the key here is that Navistar is cranking out the 7300 CXT on a production line, while these modified Hummers are both one-off jobs. There's little compensation for the emissions these mammoth vehicles will be putting out. And that's not even considering that to produce hydrogen fuel, you still have to consume energy that comes from... you guessed it, more conventional fuel than the hydrogen saves. As of right now, hydrogen is still actually a dirty technology.