Have you seen Arnold Schwarzenegger's new Hummer? It's electric

(Pictures: Kreisel Electric)

When we think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, large vehicles are not a very far off thought. But the Terminator star seems to have taken his monster wheels down green lane. And he picked the mother of all fuel guzzlers to go green with. Arnie unveiled his electric Hummer in Austria earlier this week.

Hummers are the civilian versions of the Humvee, a vehicle developed as a light truck for military use. They have long been criticised for their extremely poor fuel economy. Hummers are estimated to have a fuel economy of 24 litres per 100 km in city conditions. That means 4.17 km per litre.

Schwarzenegger drove onto the stage in the Hummer. “Kreisel Electric electrified my (Mercedes-Benz) G-Class last winter. And now a Hummer. If Kreisel keeps it up at this pace, I will soon be able to fly here from LA in an electric airplane,” he said.

The red Hummer H1 was converted into an electric vehcle by Kreisel Electric, an Austrian engineering company. Kreisel offers e-mobility solutions among other services.

The conversion of the Hummer H1 was done in two months. The company says the modified Hummer can reach speeds of up to 120 kmph and has a range of about 300 km.

The vehicle is powered by two electric motors on the front and back axles. Kriesel claims 100 kWh high-performance batteries can deliver an output of 360 kW. It weighs 3,300 kg.

Hummers have not been in production for some years now. The vehicles had become an iconic symbol of the American military during the 1991 Gulf War. However, the hulk of a vehicle is not equipped threats that American forces now face, like roadside bombs and unconventional warfare. Because of all this, Hummers had been denied more US government contracts for military vehicles.