GM will revive the Hummer nameplate in the 2022 model year with the GMC Hummer EV, an all-electric pickup truck with a 0-60 mph time in the three-second range and a price tag of more than $100,000. Lower priced models will follow for subsequent model years and so will an SUV.
The Hummer brand became part of the GM lineup at the turn of the century, when GM took over marketing of the former military vehicle. Eventually the lineup expanded to include H2 SUV and SUT vehicles and the smaller H3, before GM pulled the plug in 2009 during its bankruptcy.
The brand once maligned for its malignant environmental profile now will sport GM’s latest all-electric drivetrain, based on an Ultium 200-kwh battery pack that’s said to be good for 350 miles of range.
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The Hummer EV will debut with three Ultium motors each making 255 kw (or 341 hp) to make a total of 1,000 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque. With DC fast charging, GM also promises 100 miles of range restored in 10 minutes.
The Hummer EV’s other attributes include four-wheel air suspension, adaptive dampers, five underbody skid plates to protect the battery and other systems, and rear-wheel steering that can turn up to 10 degrees. This enables a diagonal-steer CrabWalk mode.
At 216.9 inches long, the Hummer EV is a foot shorter than a GMC Sierra regular cab, long bed and about two feet shorter than a crew cab with its 6-foot-6 box. Its 135.6-inch wheelbase, is about four inches shorter than the regular cab truck and almost two feet shorter than the crew cab. While it’s shorter than those trucks, it’s about five inches wider than them at 86.7 inches wide, which is a near match for the Ford F-150 Raptor. It weights more than all of them, though, at nearly 9,000 lb.
GM plans to issue the first GMC Hummer EV before the end of the year at the 2022 Edition 1 model, which is already sold out despite a price tag of $112,595, including destination. The Edition 1 has front and rear T-tops, a multi-function tailgate, 35-inch OD off-road tires, GM’s Super Cruise driver-assistance system, a digital key system, and an Extract Mode which raises the suspension an extra 6 inches to help the Hummer EV extract itself from off-road pitfalls.
After that, GM will stagger the Hummer EV launch to provide a three-motor EV 3X with a price of $99,995 and a spring 2023 arrival date. A two-motor EV 2X model is also in the works, as well is a base version priced from $79,995, but they’re not expected to arrive until spring 2024.
The Hummer is built around an integral steel battery box with front and rear cradles to create a structure similar to an EV skateboard. The body panels that come off of it, though, are also structural, creating an architecture that GMC calls body-frame-integrated. This platform and the Ultium battery and motors will provide the basis for future electric Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
The battery cells come from a joint project between GM and LG Chem, and will be made in Ohio. Production is set for the same plant that formerly built Cadillacs.
The Hummer EV’s chief rivals include the upcoming electric version of the Ford F-150, as well as the Rivian R1T and R1S; it might also include the Tesla Cybertruck, though that vehicle is expected to be much less expensive, at least at this point in its development cycle.