The Hummer is back, but not like we’ve ever seen it before.
The 2022 GMC Hummer EV is an all-electric ute which General Motors is calling a “supertruck”. It’s not been locked in for Australia, but GM Specialty Vehicles also didn’t rule out bringing it Down Under.
“We are glad there is so much excitement around the GMC Hummer EV. It is another vehicle in the General Motors line-up that demonstrates our vision of an all-electric future,” said a spokesperson for GM.
“We are not making announcements at this stage in relation to global markets outside of North America.”
Set to be followed by a related SUV, the EV ute will be available in four variants.
The Edition 1 will be the first to launch, arriving in the US next autumn (our spring). It features three electric motors for a total system output of 745kW of power and 15,591Nm of torque, though that’s almost certainly a wheel torque figure and not engine torque.
It’ll hit 60mph (96km/h) in approximately three seconds and boasts a claimed electric range of 563km. Pricing starts at US$112,595 (A$159,358).
Next to arrive will be the EV3X, arriving approximately 12 months later. It also features a tri-motor powertrain, albeit with a claimed 482km of range, 596kW of power and 12,880Nm of torque and a price tag of US$99,995 (A$141,525).
The EV2X, due in the US in 2023 in their spring, will feature two electric motors, similar range to the EV3X, but 466kW of power, 10,033Nm of torque and a price tag of US$89,995 (A$127,372).
Finally, the most affordable EV – the EV2 – will arrive early in 2024, with 402km of range but the same power and torque as the EV2X. It’ll be priced from US$79,995 (A$113,219).
Though an electric Hummer is unprecedented – unless you count Arnold Schwarzenegger’s converted H1 – there are some strong ties to the Hummer brand’s heritage.
The bluff, brutish styling is a more modern take on Hummer’s old design language, with the chrome, seven-slot grille of the old Hummers replaced with a six-segment, full-width front lighting assembly.
GM has also ensured the Hummer’s off-road pedigree remains.
The Hummer EV has a segment-first CrabWalk feature that allows the rear wheels and front wheels to steer at the same angle at low speeds, allowing you to diagonally move the vehicle when you encounter challenging terrain.
There’s also an Extract Mode on the adaptive air suspension, which will raise the suspension by 149mm to help you clear an obstacle. GM claims the Hummer EV can ford water more than 609mm deep.
The Hummer EV comes standard with 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tyres, and can accommodate even larger 37-inch tyres. As expected, there’s also plenty of underbody protection, particularly around the Ultium battery pack.
“We had one goal for Hummer EV: Build the most capable factory truck – ever,” said Al Oppenheiser, GMC Hummer EV chief engineer.
“It’s an absolute off-road beast with a unique e4WD drive system that provides maneuverability unlike anything GM has ever offered before.”
You can select up to 18 different camera views to look at your surroundings, including waterproof underbody-mounted ones, while a whole host of off-road data is available in the 13.4-inch infotainment screen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. This includes torque output and vectoring and pitch and roll angles.
Back on the beaten path, you can take advantage of the latest generation of Super Cruise, which supports hand-free driving on more than 322,000km of American roads. The latest version can now change lanes for you.
The panoramic Infinity Roof is standard on the Edition 1, and the transparent Sky Panels are removable to turn the Hummer EV into what is practically a convertible. There’s also a power dropping rear window and a power tonneau cover.
Edition 1 models also include adaptive suspension and a mode called Watts to Freedom, which “unleashes the full acceleration capability of the EV propulsion system”.
GM will also make four-wheel steering available in the Hummer EV.
Select Hummer EV variants support 800V DC fast-charging of up to 350kW, allowing you to add 160km of range in just 10 minutes.
When charging, the headlights turn into a battery display to indicate how much charge is left.
The Hummer EV will be produced at GM’s Hamtramck factory in the Detroit metro area. The factory opened as a high-tech showpiece in 1985, where it built dramatically downsized, front-wheel drive luxury cars like the 1986 Cadillac Eldorado and Seville as GM accelerated its transition to front-wheel drive.
Now, Hamtramck has received a US$2.2 billion (A$3.11 billion) investment to convert to electric vehicle production, as GM transitions towards a more electric vehicle-heavy range.
GM is rolling out 20 new electric vehicles between now and 2023 as it aims to sell one million electric vehicles per year in China and the USA by the end of 2025.
