December 3, 2006 GM Advanced Design has won the Los Angeles Auto Show’s Design Challenge for the second year in a row. This year’s winning entry is a two-dimensional rendering of a 2015 Blue Sky Concept that addresses environmental sustainability. Called the HUMMER 02, the design was created to demonstrate that daily use of a vehicle could result in a net gain for the environment.
The HUMMER 02 Concept features a phototropic body shell that produces pure oxygen throughout the life of the vehicle. Algae-filled body panels transform carbon dioxide into pure oxygen that is subsequently released back into the environment and inside the vehicle.
- Designers at GM’s West Coast Advanced Design Studio in Southern California tackled the far-reaching challenge – to develop a concept that resulted in a net gain for the environment. The GM team crafted an entry that surpasses the contest’s sustainability principles: the HUMMER O2 Concept.
“The HUMMER O2 epitomizes the ethos of the true Southern California outdoors enthusiast with rugged capability, a ‘tread lightly’ contact system and construction methods promoting safety, accessibility and reusability,” said Frank Saucedo, director, GM Advanced Design in California . “Most vehicles in L.A. spend 95 percent of their time outdoors subjected to sunlight, so why couldn’t a vehicle give back?”
To fully understand the HUMMER O2, the GM team believes that terms commonly associated with ecology and biology work best.
Photosynthesis
The HUMMER 02 Concept features a revolutionary phototropic body shell that produces pure oxygen throughout the life of the vehicle. Algae-filled body panels transform carbon dioxide into pure oxygen that is subsequently released back into the environment and inside the vehicle.
“The panels essentially function as the ‘leaves’ of the HUMMER O2 and effectively clean the air in the surrounding environment,” said Saucedo. “Used algae are recycled as biomass for the further production of energy.”
Breathing
The HUMMER 02 promotes the production of oxygen by a two-way valve system in the corner of each panel. The sophisticated devices control and monitor the amount of carbon dioxide and source nutrition needed for the algae cultivation while optimizing oxygen production and distribution.
Energy
Four modular and self-contained fuel cells power hydraulic motors built into each wheel. A hydrogen tank is placed in an ideal central location for safety and structural purposes, becoming the “heart” of the vehicle.
Footprint
Active Tread TM tires provide low resistance on the highway while allowing excellent off-road progress as their shape changes – adapting to and protecting the surrounding environment.
Structure
Finally, to further reduce environmental impact, the HUMMER O2’s construction specifies the use of 100-percent post-consumer materials, including an aluminum frame, seats finished with Volatile Organic Components-free (VOC-free) materials and glazing via PETE (similar to everyday consumer packaging, such as soda bottles).
The GM West Coast Advanced Design Studio won the 2005 Design Challenge competition with its GMC PAD Concept, a mobile urban loft designed for the L.A. environment.
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