A small problem with Governor Hydrogen Hummer's Hydrogen Hummer: GM Doesn't allow him to drive it.

[NNadir]

He's not allowed to drive it unless a GM engineer accompanies him at all times.

He's not allowed to fuel it either, since it's too dangerous.

According to Hummer, the H2H was created by a team of GM engineers from the U.S., Canada and Germany, in collaboration with Quantum Technologies (nasdaq: QTWW - news - people ), a California-based supplier of hydrogen fuel systems. The car is a one-of-a-kind deal, although the partners might build one or two more H2Hs.

The H2H uses a conventional internal combustion engine powered by compressed hydrogen, even though GM's plans for its future model range involve hydrogen cars powered by energy sources called "fuel-cell stacks." Supposing for the sake of argument that Schwarzenegger wanted to drive the H2H around California ("I don't think that's a common occurrence," said the Hummer spokesperson), he could refuel the car at several stations.

The majority of California's 12 to 15 hydrogen refueling stations are in the southern part of the state, although Schwarzenegger could--for example--refuel the H2H at the University of California, Davis' station if he didn't stray too far from Sacramento. Hydrogen currently costs $4 to $10 per kilogram, the unit in which it is measured, and the H2H's fuel tank holds five to six kg of hydrogen. GM believes that if hydrogen is to be commercially viable it must cost $2 to $2.25 per kg--that is, it must be competitive with gasoline prices.

GM does not allow Schwarzenegger to use the "Self-Serve" lane at the hydrogen station. The company fills the tank itself, keeps the vehicle in Lake Forest, Calif. (near its engineering facilities and Quantum's offices) and requires that a GM engineer ride in the car at all times.

http://www.forbes.com/vehicles/2005/01/04/cx_dl_0104vow.html

Governor Hydrogen Hummer was re-elected by the people of California because he was announced as a newly minted "environmentalist."

Among his other "environmental" credentials was the passage of a "brazillion solar roofs bill" that immediately caused orders of new solar roofs to drop from "trivial" to "next to nonexistent."

Oddly enough, there was a lot of praise for Governor Hydrogen Hummer's initiatives right here on this website in the E&E forum. That sound's bizarre but it was in fact true.

[roody]

1. I have never said a good word about him, and never plan to.

[skids]

2. Bwahahah..... priceless. n/t