4 reasons GMC Hummer electric pickup is the Craziest EV in USA

Many EVs, including the Tesla Cybertruck, are facing delays in their launch because of the ongoing semiconductor shortage, but not the GMC Hummer EV. GM EVP and CFO Paul Jackson confirmed during the company’s Q2 2021 earnings conference call that the Hummer EV launch will take place in fall 2021, as it initially announced.

With just four months left for the launch at the max, GM has increased testing and promotional activities of the Hummer EV. On August 21, 2021, Twitter user Sawyer Meritt posted a video revealing that the company has manufactured five prototypes of the Hummer EV for testing. A day later, Facebook user Matthew Alexander shared pictures showing a prototype on display at  the annual Woodward Dream Cruise.

The GMC Hummer Electric pickup is arguably the EV era’s most crucial unveil since the Tesla Model S (2009) in the US. The groundbreaking pure electric sport truck is a testimony to the fact that the biggest of pickup trucks and SUVs can adopt electric powertrains – size is not an barrier for automakers switching to electric drive.

Video & Featured Image Source: youtube.com/Engineering Explained

The GMC Hummer Electric Pickup is the exemplar of GM’s Ultium EV technologies, packing a whopping 1,000 horsepower, a colossal 11,500 lb.-ft. torque and 350+ miles of driving range. The list of talking points goes on, with 800-volt Ultium Drive architecture, four-wheel steering with CrabWalk mode, adaptive air suspension with segment-leading ‘Extract Mode’, UltraVision underbody cameras, Super Cruise, etc.

Here are the four reasons why the GMC Hummer Electric pickup is the craziest EV in America:

Ultimate off-roading truck

The GMC Hummer EV is a pickup truck aimed at luring even purists who demand ultimate off-roading capabilities besides the regular cargo needs. E-lockers and virtual rear lockers are available to optimize traction, and so are heavy-duty ball-spline half shafts, which help in maximizing articulation and reducing steering input during tense off-road situations.

Also available are forward- and rear-facing UltraVision front and rear underbody cameras that provide up to 18 views. Placed low enough to allow a vision beyond the skid plates, these cameras are waterproof and come with a wash function and replaceable lens protectors.

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GM also offers the GMC Hummer electric pickup with an optional drive mode called CrabWalk, which, enabled by the four-wheel steering system, allows the driver to drive diagonally at low speeds and makes maneuvering in traverse tight trails easy. The rear wheels of the GMC Hummer EV can turn up to 10 degrees in either direction. Underbody armor, comprising strategically placed steel plates, protect the battery pack and give the driver the assurance needed in extreme off-roading conditions.

An optional ‘Extract’ drive mode is also available in the GMC Hummer EV. On enabling it, the optional adaptive air suspension raises the suspension height by approximately 6 inches (149 mm). This feature can be very useful in fording water or clearing boulders.

Hummer EV Dimensions (Exterior)

Parameter\Specification	Standard Mode	Terrain Mode	Extract Mode
Length	216.8″	216.8″	216.8″
Width	86.7″ (w/o mirrors) /93.7″ (w/mirrors)	86.7″ (w/o mirrors) /93.7″ (w/mirrors)	86.7″ (w/o mirrors) /93.7″ (w/mirrors)
Height	79.1 inches	TBA	TBA
Wheelbase	135.6″	135.6″	135.6″
Bed Length	5.0 ft.	5.0 ft.	5.0 ft.
Ground Clearance	10.1″	11.9″	15.9″
Approach Angle	41.5°	44.3°	49.7°
Departure Angle	31.6°	33.7°	38.4°
Breakover Angle	22.3°	25.4°	32.2°
Water Fording	26.0″	28.0″	32″
Wall Climb	18″	18″	18″
Front Suspension Travel	13″	13″	13″
Rear Suspension Travel	13″	13″	13″

Performance-focused sport truck

The GMC Hummer EV is as much of an on-road performance-focused sport truck as an off-road machine. Customers can select from three different motor options, with up to 1,000 horsepower and up to 11,500 lb.-ft. Of torque. The quickest configuration allows a 0-60 mph sprint in approximately just 3 seconds.

Parameter	Hummer EV2 Specification	Hummer EV2X Specification	Hummer EV3X Specification	Hummer EV Edition 1 Specification*
Motors	Two	Two	Three	Three
Motor Power	625 HP	625 HP	800 HP (Canada: 1,000 HP)	1,000 HP
Motor Torque	7,400 lb.-ft.	7,400 lb.-ft.	9,500 lb.-ft. (Canada: 11,500 lb.-ft.)	11,500 lb.-ft.
Acceleration (0-60 mph)	TBA	TBA	3.5 seconds (U.S.)	~3 seconds

Mile-munching EV

GM hasn’t disclosed the battery pack capacities, but it says that the biggest Ultium battery pack results in 350+ miles of GMC Hummer EV range. The company offers the pure electric Hummer SUT in four variants, and below are their specifications, including driving range:

Parameter	Hummer EV2 Specification	Hummer EV2X Specification	Hummer EV3X Specification	Hummer EV Edition 1 Specification*
Battery Pack Capacity	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA
Battery Pack Voltage	400 V	800 V	800 V	800 V
Peak Charging Power (Max. Charging Capacity)	TBA	TBA	TBA	350 kW
Range	250+ miles	300+ miles	300+ miles	350+ miles

*Hummer EV Edition 1 not available in Canada

The top-end GMC Hummer EV pickup truck can achieve a 100-mile range with just 10 minutes of charging with a 350 kW charger. The GMC Hummer EV specs in Canada are slightly different. There’s no EV Edition 1 trim on sale over there, and GM has packaged the specifications of that USA’s top-end trim in the EV3X trim. So, the EV2 and EV2X trims in the USA and Canada are the same, but the EV3X trim in Canada offers the specifications of the USA’s Edition 1 trim. Apparently, there’s no trim with 800 HP, 11,500 lb.-ft. and 300+ miles in our neighboring nation.

Utility and Gen Z-focused EV

Compared to the Hummer SUT of the past, the GMC Hummer electric pickup truck looks way sportier and noticeably more aggressive. While the proportions are similar, the bulged-out body panels all around lend a more athletic styling. The sleek, full-width headlights with wide-spaced HUMMER branding built-in are a perfect reflection of the all-new model’s more dominating character and futuristic engineering.

The interior of the GMC Hummer Electric Pickup is entirely new, and as one would expect, is a mix of traditional and modern design themes. On the one hand, it sticks to the old-school pickup truck formula with a horizontal dashboard with straight lines, high-mounted floor console, vertical outer-end AC vents, vertical door grab handles, etc. On the other hand, it also nods to the typical minimalism of EVs, with a low-profile steering wheel, 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster, 13.4-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system display and more.

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GM offers an ‘Infinity Roof’ with removable transparent ‘Sky Panels’ in the GMC Hummer EV. The all-electric pickup truck has a large frunk (front trunk), in which the driver can stow the Sky Panels. Other noteworthy utility features include power rear drop glass, power tonneau cover and six-function MultiPro Tailgate.

Apart from the Infinity Roof with Sky Panels, virtual instrument cluster, and giant touchscreen, the GMC Hummer EV is packed with the latest version of Super Cruise autonomous driving technologies to strike the chord with the Gen Z. The company says that in the US, the driver can use a hands-free driving function on more than 200,000 miles of enabled roads. Super Cruise in the all-electric pickup truck includes a new automatic lane changing feature.

The top-end GMC Hummer EV will come fitted with a 14-speaker Bose audio system. The company plans to offer an optional package that includes a 100-watt Kicker stereo system packaged inside the MultiPro Tailgate, as per a gmauthority.com report. This system will consist of two weatherproof 4″ coaxial speakers, a small amplifier and a weatherproof button panel using which the user will be able to change tracks and volume. It will be powered by the traction battery pack, not the auxiliary battery pack.

The GMC Hummer EV’s infotainment system has been designed on the Unreal Engine and runs on Google’s Android OS. Powered by an Intel CPU and having 64 GB memory, as per an engdaget.com report, it should get Play Store, Google Maps, Google Voice Assistant and several other Google Infotainment Services.

Hummer EV Dimensions (Interior)

Parameter	Specification
Front Headroom	42.5″
Rear Headroom	38.6″
Front Legroom	45.6″
Rear Legroom	38.9″
Front Shoulder Room	63.9″
Rear Shoulder Room	64.0″
Front Hip Room	60.5″
Rear Hip Room	60.3″

GMC Hummer EV price & release date

The GMC Hummer EV prices in the US start at $79,995 and go up to $112,595. The GMC Hummer EV deliveries will begin in fall 2021.

Aspect\Detail	Hummer EV2	Hummer EV2X	Hummer EV3X	Hummer EV Edition 1
Price	$79,995	$89,995	$99,995	$112,595
Reservation	Available	Available	Available	Full
Release Date	Spring 2024	Spring 2023	Fall 2022	Fall 2021

As you can see in the table, reservations for the GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 are full. However, GM is offering the option to join a waitlist for it. All the customer has to do is make a reserve a GMC Hummer EV in the EV2, EV2X or EV3X trim and check an “Edition 1 Waitlist” box on Step 3 (Reservation Agreement). The company will contact the customer if/when an Edition 1 unit becomes available.

A reuters.com report citing GMC’s Vice President Duncan Aldred has said that only about half of the company’s dealers have agreed to sell the GMC Hummer EV. Customers can order their unit on GMC’s website and the participating dealers would deliver them. There’s no haggling or discounting on this one, as GM works on improving pricing transparency; what you see is what you pay.

Featured Image Source: Twitter/SawyerMerritt