
It's not designed to please anyone, and it's far from politically correct. But once you've seen this vehicle in action, you'll understand its capabilities.

Was it another attack? No, just American observers who wanted to follow us from a distance after the skirmish on the road. I thought, "We would all have been dead," but a judge later told me that everyone survived. In war, it is vital to keep the wheels turning. A stranded vehicle can have fatal consequences.
The Humvee military vehicle
A Humvee has a ground clearance of 40 cm and can wade through 81 cm of water, slush and mud. The drivetrain and vital components are housed in a huge propeller tunnel, protected from the terrain below. The radiator is high and slanted backwards over the engine. There are only 4 seats, with the option of transporting a wounded person between the seats. The four-wheel drive is fantastic. It pulls up with only one wheel towards the ground. The tire pressure can be easily adjusted from the dashboard – like in a James Bond movie. If you get stuck in loose desert sand, you can get traction by draining the air and refilling it after moving on.
Humvee is a nickname. The military designation is HMMWV – High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. It is especially “high mobility” that fascinates me. The civilian version of the Humvee, the Hummer H1, is designed to offer the same versatility without the disadvantages of the military vehicle. Things like NATO instrumentation, combat lights, lack of interior padding and soundproofing are not very attractive in a civilian car. Besides, you are unlikely to bring your better half in the car, either. The first civilian Hummer H1 was supposedly delivered to Arnold Schwarzenegger. And perhaps it is thanks to him that AM General started producing civilian versions? From 1992 onwards Hummer H1 on sale.

Hummer H1
The civilian Hummer cars were built along the same production line as the military cars, but received a different finish. The engines were GM's 6.2 V8 diesel, which from 1994 was upgraded to 6.5 V8 with or without turbo. 4-speed automatic with overdrive. From the fall of 2004, a series of upgraded Hummer H1 with 6.6 Duramax V8 Turbo Diesel was produced. The last year of production for the civilian cars was 2006, but production of the military cars continued.
I don't know if AM General were free to choose engines when they received orders for vehicles for the US military in the early 1980s. But imagine if they had been able to choose engines from Cummins (Ford) instead of GM's unattractive, rattling engines? Diesel has never been very popular with private, American truck buyers. It is reserved for pure commercial vehicles - which the Humvee was in its day. Moreover, diesel is the universal fuel for operational military vehicles.
You could say that GM's diesel engines put a damper on the driving pleasure in the Hummer H1 – at least by today's standards. But in the civilian model, the engines are quite well-silenced and with a 4-speed automatic they keep up with highway traffic. Military vehicles without overdrive and silencing are not as well suited.

A new life for scrapped military vehicles?
As the Humvee is phased out of the military, many vehicles will likely appear for sale to private individuals. A large number of vehicles have already been sold to buyers and can be expected to be resold as originals or converted for civilian use. Vehicles with a military past often have canvas roofs and doors. In total, there are far more military Humvees than civilian Hummer H1s.
Hummer H2

From the 2003 model year, the Hummer H2 was introduced as the successor to the H1. GM had secured the rights to the "Hummer" trademark. AM General had been commissioned to build Hummer H2 for GM on GM's truck platform shared with the Silverado and Suburban. The new model was designed to look out like a Hummer, but without the functional features that made the Hummer special. The Hummer H2 was a Chevrolet Tahoe in Hummer disguise.
Hummer H3
Hummer H3. Argeles-sur-Mer, FR, 2016.The next successor, the Hummer H3, was developed on a smaller platform than the H2, and produced at GM. The Hummer H2 and H3 could be said to be better suited as family cars and probably pleased more buyers – but did not carry forward anything of what the Humvee was originally designed for.
Lobster EV

The new electric Hummer EV has 1000 hp and is available with two different battery packs. The largest battery pack is 256.8 kWh and can provide a maximum range of 610 km. The car will probably be too big for Norway. First, it weighs over 4300 kg with the large battery pack, and the length of 5,5 meters can cause problems in Norwegian parking garages. Prices start at $96.550 for cars with 2WD.
Cyber Lobster?
More interesting is Cyber LobsterIt sells for the same price as GM's "official" Hummer EV, but has nothing in common with GM. NAEV – North American EV is a Canadian company that builds electric cars based on recycled Tesla 3 batteries and decommissioned military Humvees. They use a completely new frame with space for batteries, with an "old school" Humvee body on top. The interior is without the huge cardan tunnel - and also not the same accessibility as the Humvee and Hummer H1, although the ground clearance is 38 cm. Without the cardan tunnel, there is room for 6 people and a dashboard that consists of a centrally positioned Tesla 3-like screen. The batteries, charging system and drivetrain are otherwise compatible with the Tesla Model 3 with dual motor AWD. The external dimensions are the same as the original Humvee. Extensive use of aluminum means that the weight is relatively low, "only" 2041 kg. The stated range is 480 km and can accelerate from 0-100 in 3,5 seconds. Prices start at $98.900.
Joltvee takes over after Humvee
So-called successors to the Hummer H1 are all “look-alikes” – not real successors to the original concept. On the other hand, the military Humvee models have received a worthy successor. It is Oshkosh JLTV – Joint Light Tactical Vehicle – also called Joltvee. The vehicles are equipped with modified diesel engines based on GM's 6.6 V8 Duramax. Joltvee provides armor protection of the cabin and a higher payload than the Humvee. Total weight in standard version is 10 tons.
