The Hummer EV Pickup is the most in-your-face electric pickup truck today. The EV Pickup and its SUV sibling leave customers spellbound with their outlandish design, exceptional off-road capability, and a powertrain that produces up to four-digit power and torque figures. The Hummers of yore weren’t minimalist by any means, but GMC has dialed things up by several notches with its electric model.
Recently, I saw a GMC Hummer EV Pickup finished in Interstellar White on display, and spent some time exploring the truck.
Trims
GMC announced the Hummer EV Pickup in 2, 2X, 3X, and Edition 1 trims in 2020 and launched it exclusively in the top-of-the-line Edition 1 trim in December 2021. Currently, only the 2X and 3X trims are available to order. However, preconfigured units of the Edition 1, like the one featured in this story, are still available at some dealers.
Design
I think the GMC Hummer EV Pickup looks unmistakably Hummer. Upfront, the EV has an upright stance with a raised bonnet line. The most prominent element is the full-width LED light bar, which functions as a DRL and doubles up as a charging status indicator when the EV is plugged in.
The headlamps are housed below on the front bumper, which also has two heavy-duty tow hooks (front and rear each) and a muscular skid plate that appears to be built to withstand some serious off-road beating.
On the sides, the Hummer EV Pickup has large door-mounted rearview mirrors and squared-off wheel arches. GMC stuck to conventional door handles instead of using flush door handles, and I believe they better suit the use case of this model.
The electric pickup truck rolls on 35-inch OD (overall diameter) Goodyear all-terrain tires, which are massive for its 22-inch wheels. GMC also offers a combination of 35-inch OD Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires and 18-inch wheels for extreme off-roading. What I find even more impressive is that the EV is engineered to fit even larger, 37-inch tires.
Initially, the Hummer EV Pickup came with dealer-installed stainless-steel off-road assist steps with rock sliders as part of the standard equipment. With the MY2023 update, new, fixed assist steps built with aluminum became standard.
At the back, I like the Hummer EV Pickup’s technical-looking tail lamps, which consist of an H-shaped graphic. Up top, it features three roof-mounted (front and rear) identification lights mandated by the U.S. government for wide vehicles.
One of the most attractive features on the list of exterior equipment, in my opinion, is removable glass roof panels, which come opaque or transparent depending on the trim. The Edition 1 trim has the transparent version as standard. Customers can remove the glass roof panels with a few simple steps and store them in the frunk (11.3 cu ft).
Smartly-engineered cargo bed
I can’t go without mentioning the Hummer EV Pickup’s forte, its rear flatbed. The EV’s flatbed measures 60 inches (5 feet) in length. It can carry cargo up to 1,300 pounds, claims GMC. That said, the towing capacity of the EV—it has four heavy-duty tow hooks, two at the front and rear each—is 7,500 pounds (company-estimated).
Interior
Sitting in the GMC Hummer EV Pickup, I instantly felt that it had a proper truck-like interior. I think its tall and boxy dashboard, which features big, tower-like outer-end AC vents, is the main reason behind this vibe. I think the steering wheel featuring a chunky center pad, the long and wide center console with plenty of storage space, the door panels featuring a vertically aligned handle and a boxy armrest, and plenty of conventional controls, including buttons, knobs, and switches go well with the theme.
GMC offers the Hummer EV Pickup in Lunar Horizon and Lunar Shadow color schemes. The former, seen here, is a combination of Jet Black and Light Grey, while the latter clubs Jet Black with Taupe. If you were to ask me, the interior looks the best in Lunar Horizon.
GMC has showcased its American heritage by offering a moon-themed interior with a topographical map of the moon on the EV’s floor and speaker grilles. The speaker graphics showcase the Sea of Tranquility. No customer actually needs this feature, but something that proud American customers would buy from their hearts.
Luxury vehicle-like comfort
I’m six feet tall, and I had to use the sidesteps to get in both the front and back of the Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1. Pillar-mounted grab handles were included in both places, so children should have no issue entering or exiting the vehicle either. The interior is quite premium and looks similar to a luxury vehicle. I think the materials are also pretty well thought-out.
Irrespective of the color scheme, GMC uses leather-alternative seating surfaces in the electric pickup truck. The new Hummer EV Pickup Omega Edition features exclusive premium carpet floor inserts for a luxurious feeling.
The heated steering wheel is quite firm to hold. Unlike in many modern EVs, there are physical buttons on the three-spoke steering for cruise control, selecting ADAS functions, and navigating through the digital instrument cluster’s menu. More buttons are under the touchscreen for functions like diff lock and traction control. Drive modes can be selected via a rotary knob on the center console. The steering column features power tilt-and-telescopic adjustment and memory function.
As for outward visibility, I noticed that the high-set hood and dashboard, the short windshield, and the thick A-pillar had some impact on the forward view. The huge, flat windows provide excellent side visibility, though, and the rear visibility is good, too.
The Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1 features 12-way power front seats with 4-way lumbar support and memory (driver-only), heating, and ventilation functions. I felt that they were really comfortable, and the huge armrest between them offered great support. I had ample headroom and faced no issue with the legroom either.
In the back, there’s a 60/40 folding bench, which, in my experience, is best suited for two people even though it can accommodate three. When I sat in the middle position, I felt that the backrest was a little too hard and my knees were in a very high-up position because of a raised section in the floor. In the outboard positions, which include a heating function, I felt that the legroom was okay and I had sufficient knee room. The under-thigh support was average, though.
Ample digital real estate
The 13.4-inch touchscreen infotainment displays comprehensive off-road information, including pitch and roll angles, wheel travel, g-force articulation, drift gauge, chassis ride height, etc. Before I saw it in person, I expected it to be easy to use because of its minimalist UI and the boatload of features it had.
After I had used it for some time, I was convinced that the controls and settings were easy to find, even for someone who is new to GMC. I think the piano-style buttons below the infotainment display are easy to locate. However, while I like their tactile operation, I think their feedback could be a little bit better.
The 12.3-inch digital cockpit in the driver’s view provides essential information to the driver, including vehicle performance, off-road statistics, driver awareness, and trail mapping projection from the myGMC app. It looks premium because of the superb graphics, but while it exudes the look of a luxury vehicle instrument cluster, it doesn’t feel as confidence-inspiring.
Specifications
I think the GMC Hummer EV Pickup is a beast, as it’s extremely capable both on and off the road. Designed and engineered from the group up, it has a 20- or 24-module battery pack that consists of nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) pouch cells sourced from a Warren, Ohio-based factory owned by Ultium Cells, a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and GMC’s parent company GM. It’s also worth noting that this is the first model across GM brands with a wireless battery management system.
The Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1 trim featured in the story comes with the 24-module battery pack. With 800 volt capacity and 350 kW DC fast charging, up to nearly 100 miles range can be recovered in as little as 12 minutes. On a full charge, the electric pickup truck can travel up to 329 miles, although this is a company-estimated figure, not EPA-estimated. Other configurations of the Hummer EV Pickup deliver a range of up to 381 miles (company-estimated).
1,000 hp and 11,500 lb.-ft.
Brace for impact because the Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1’s powertrain surpasses all old limits. It comes with a tri-motor AWD set-up, which gives it 1,000 hp and 11,500 lb.-ft. of wheel torque.
Before getting misled by the torque figure, note that EVs generally have a drive reduction ratio of 8:1, which relates to torque multiplication at the wheel. The system torque of Hummer EV Pickup’s triple-motor powertrain is 1,140 lb.-ft. The 1,000-hp triple-motor powertrain allows the Hummer EV Pickup to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds.
CrabWalk & 4 wheel steer
CrabWalk and four-wheel-steering make the 216.8-inch-long pickup as easily maneuverable as a compact SUV. The pickup has a turning diameter of 37.1 feet (445.2 inches). For reference, a Toyota RAV4, which measures 180.9 inches in length, has a turning radius of 37.4 feet (448.8 inches). At slow speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction of the front wheels, and at higher speeds, all wheels turn in the same direction.
CrabWalk is a feature usually offered on heavy-duty construction machines like excavators. It presents incredible maneuverability by making all wheels steer at the same angle, up to 10 degrees, at low speeds making the EV drive diagonally to get past tight sections of trails. Moreover, the adaptive air suspension can raise ride height from 10.1 inches (standard) to 15.9 inches in Extract Mode to help the EV clear large obstacles like boulders.
Production & Sales
GM builds the GMC Hummer EV Pickup at Factory Zero, which it remodeled with a USD 2.2 billion investment to produce electric vehicles. Formerly the Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Center, it started rolling out Hummer EV Pickups for customer deliveries in December 2021. However, the production volume hasn’t normalized. In 2022, the company delivered just 854 units of the electric truck in the U.S. In 2023, it sold just 3,244 units of the Hummer EV Pickup and Hummer EV SUV combined.
Also See: 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV Edition 1 intimidates in Moonshot Green Matte
Price
The GMC Hummer EV Pickup Edition 1 featured in this story retails at USD 108,700 (excl. 1,595 destination charge). The GMC Hummer EV Pickup 2X has been priced at USD 96,550 (excl. USD 2,295 destination charge).
Also Read: GMC Hummer EV EarthCruiser: My Camper Truck Experience
TopElectricSUV says
The GMC Hummer EV Pickup is one of the most capable electric truck models available today. It’s not very efficient, but it surely is a testament to the fact that EVs can match and even outclass the most extreme internal combustion engine vehicles. Plus, it’s filled to the brim with performance, comfort, and convenience features that collectively make it an impressive full-size truck model.
An automobile engineer by training, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005, with a keen focus on EVs since 2008. My journey in online automotive publishing spans 16 years, during which I have reviewed cutting-edge automotive technologies and interviewed leading CEOs and vehicle developers from around the world.
