THE TERM “eco-friendly 40-foot stretch Hummer” seems as oxymoronic as “low-cal fudge” or “sober Hollywood starlet.”
But that’s just what Villa Park’s Exotic Coach LimoSuites has been touting since June, when it unveiled what it claims to be an environmentally conscious Hummer limousine that boasts a 4,600-watt stereo system, eight flatscreens, neon disco lights, a VIP area and two crackling fireplaces (rest assured, tree huggers, they don’t burn real logs).
Company President Frank DeAngelo admits the decision to convert this vehicle from burning gasoline to propane was fueled by both a desire to reduce harmful emissions and a desire to save dough; he pays about $1.70 per gallon of propane, which he believes produces fewer emissions than gasoline.
“There isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison between propane and gasoline emissions used in a vehicle,” replies the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Ernesta Jones. “It would depend on how the engine is optimized, how the vehicle may be used, emissions-control applications, etc.”
This much is known: The green angle is a hot marketing tool. One recent Friday, some 20 west suburban partyers selected this vehicle for a trip to the nightclub Crobar. “The fact that it burns propane is kind of cool,” says Bloomingdale’s Brian Smith between sips of Bud Light, while his tattooed and hairsprayed cohorts filled their own tanks with Effen vodka and wine coolers.
Now, you could argue that tacking any sort of eco- label onto a giant roadhog is an outrageous distortion. Or you could make the case that this multi-passenger vehicle is the perfect ride for today’s spinmeisters; that the eco-Hummer represents a new shade of environmentalism–neon green.
