Kicking Gas with GMC's Hummer EV
Just say the name “Hummer” in mixed company and heads will turn your way for a number of reasons, and not all of them good. The GMC Hummer brand, discontinued in 2010, was synonymous with pre-recession, gas-guzzling excess. Arnold Schwarzenegger drove one. Now, amazingly, the Hummer is back as an all-electric pickup truck in a leaner, cleaner form. Think action movie star Jason Statham.
Hummer EV: Specs and "Special Effects"
The new built in Detroit Hummer EV sports three electric motors spitting 1,000 horsepower and a whopping 11,500 pound-feet of torque. It has a 350 mile range and can charge 100 miles in 10 minutes with a full charge in 40 minutes. The onboard Ultium battery pack is a 24-module, double-decker system and the estimated 100 miles in 10 minutes charging time is possible by using an 800-volt charger with a peak charging rate of over 300kW.
Much like Arnold’s Terminator character, this truck is full of robot-like “special effects.” For instance, in Crab Mode, the truck can drive diagonally for ultra-easy parking or spinning in circles with a tight radius just like Rivian’s Tank Turn feature. In Extract Mode it can lift up six inches to get out of rock quarries and help negotiate “extreme off-road situations such as clearing boulders or fording water,” GMC says. Oh, and did we mention it can take you from zero to 60 miles per hour in just three seconds? “Hasta la vista, baby!”
"Zero Emissions and Zero Limits"
On its website, General Motors brands the new Hummer with the slogan, “Zero emissions and zero limits.” As they see it, “Off-road dominance is engineered into every aspect of the new Hummer. A standard independent front and rear suspension enables remarkable off-pavement handling and highway comfort.” This starts with specially engineered 35-inch Goodyear tires and moves upward to take in what GMC calls Ultravision, a series of 18 video cameras under the body, presenting 35 views to facilitate your canyon carving off-road efforts.
The clever naming conventions continue inside the truck with an Infinity Roof that basically lets you take four sky panels out of the hardtop to make the Hummer a convertible. You can stow the roof sections in the large frunk up front. Then there’s Super Cruise, the ultimate in driver assist technology that gives you hands-free driving and even automatic lane changing capability.
The Lunar Horizon two-tone cabin is rich and luxurious. A 13.4-inch infotainment touchscreen sits in the center console, while a 12.3-inch diagonal driver info center offers a digital instrument cluster including everything you need to know about terrain status. A 14-speaker Bose sound system will keep you rockin’ while one-pedal driving is basically an enhancement of the regenerative braking system. In this mode, when you take your foot off the accelerator, the Hummer comes to a stop by itself.
The new Hummer is being manufactured at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck factory, renamed Factory Zero, where GM has pumped $2.2 billion into the mass-production of electric vehicles. While the new Hummer is more of a crew cab pickup truck with a five-foot-long bed, an SUV model will follow the truck into production.
Pricing and Roll-Out
The Hummer EV was offered in four variants when it rolled out in fall 2021 with the Hummer EV Edition 1 starting at a suggested MSRP of $112,595. This version includes three electric motors as well as Crab Mode and Extract Mode.
The Hummer EV3X, with a three-motor setup and 0-60 mph acceleration in three seconds, carries a starting MSRP of $99,995. Following that will be the Hummer EV2X, available in spring 2023, with two electric motors and a suggested price of $89,995. Last will be the Hummer EV2, available spring 2024, also offering two motors and a suggested price of $79,995. All four trim levels are expected to have over 350 miles of range on a full battery pack.
With the new Ford F-150 Electric and Rivian R1T debuting this year, the stage is set for an array of exciting all-electric pickup trucks to join the EV universe. You can compare the all-electric Hummer EV and see how it scores at the GreenCars Buyers Guide, or learn more at www.gmc.com/electric/hummer-ev.
