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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsGMC Hummer Revealed: An Electric Revolutionary
The Hummer returns as a behemoth EV “supertruck” with 1,000hp and a 3 second sprint to 60mph. Here are the details behind the big reveal.
Made in ‘Merica
No space in the automotive world is more steeped in irony than the fast-evolving realm of electric vehicles. Porsche slaps “turbo” onto their Taycan EV. Ford sacrilegiously dubs their performance EV crossover a Mustang. And this week GMC unveils their “electric supertruck” as the second coming of that poster child for gas-guzzling excess, the Hummer. Signs and wonders, my friends, signs and wonders.
Perhaps most ironic of all is the trajectory of electrification. The arc from the humble Prius to the mammoth Hummer EV puts to bed the old adage about there being “no replacement for displacement.” Try three electric motors combining for 1,000hp, might that do the trick? GMC’s marketing of the Hummer EV as an “electric supertruck” sounds less and less hyperbolic the more you learn about it.
Watts Upon Watts of Freedom
The initial release of the new Hummer EV won’t actually happen until this time next year (and pre-orders are already sold out as of this writing). Those 2022 model year Hummer EVs will all be Edition 1 versions coming fully equipped, including 35-inch wheels, removable roof panels, “crab walk” capability, a thunderous 1,000hp rating and a price tag of $112,595. GMC says the range for the Hummer EV will exceed 350 miles on a single charge and, with 800volt fast-charging capability, be able to charge up to a hundred miles of range in about 10 minutes.
That four-digit horsepower number may sound big but that’s not the only impressive stat for the Hummer EV’s mechanicals. They start with three electric motors, one in front and two in the rear, each producing 250kW for a combined 750kW, equivalent to that 1,000hp number. GMC does a bit of mathematical slight of hand with the torque number, quoting a truly mind-boggling 11,500lb.-ft. But that number is based on wheel torque which multiplies the motor torque and gear ratio (13.3:1 in front and 10.5:1 in back). In actuality the Hummer EV’s total motor torque will more closely align with its horsepower rating, somewhere closer to 1,000lb.-ft.
All that power translates to some serious performance. The Hummer EV’s tow rating will run between 7,500 and 11,000lbs. Pretty standard among full-size trucks. What’s not so standard is the 0 to 60 time of around 3 seconds. Supertruck, indeed. This sports car take-off (and that full 1,000hp number) will be accessible in what GMC dubs the “Watts to Freedom” mode, their version of the more conventional, though less colorfully titled, Launch Control you’ll find in many sports cars.
“Crab Walks”
Rocketing to 60mph and beyond isn’t the only trick the Hummer EV has to offer. There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on with in the undercarriage, too. For starters there’s a “crab walk” mode that allows for diagonal travel. This might sound weird, but a number of sports cars feature rear-wheel steering for increased maneuverability (turning in the opposite direction to the front wheels and helpful in large vehicles like the Hummer EV). The Hummer EV’s rear wheels get a full 10° of play and, in “crab walk” mode, can turn in the same direction as the front wheels to move diagonally at slow speeds.
The standard air-suspension of the Hummer EV also gets a few unique capabilities. The impressive base clearance of 10.1-inches is just the beginning. Not only does it lower approximately 2-inches for ingress and egress, there’s also a new “extract” mode that raises the suspension by nearly 6-inches. Truly the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free-card for off-roading. The Hummer EV will be able to scale obstacles up to 18-inches in height and ford water to a depth of 24 inches.
And Moonwalks
No GMC would be worthy the name without some aesthetic flourishes, and the Hummer EV delivers there too. First off, the Hummer EV lives up to its heritage as a huge vehicle and splayed across the front grille is the LED lightbar GMC has been teasing low these many months. The Edition 1 versions get their own exclusive trimmings, a white paintjob and paired with a Lunar gray interior. The Lunar moniker extends from the color scheme to include some cool Easter eggs like a dead pedal shaped to look like the imprint of a moon suit footprint and to the speaker covers, patterned after the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon (complete with footprint indicating the moon landing zone).
The interior of the Hummer EV scales with the rest of the vehicle. The digital gauge cluster spans 12.3 inches and the infotainment screen stretches to 13.4 inches. That’s not all however, even the shifter is appropriately/comically massive.
All That and a Bag of Chips
And there are still a few additional practical features worthy of mention. These include the dizzying eighteen exterior camera views, complete with two cameras on the underside. And don’t worry about them getting muddy either, GMC made sure to include a spray feature to clean them off. There’s also GMC’s 6-way tailgate and the removeable roof panels which conveniently store in the front trunk (sure, frunk, whatever). Even the head and taillights get added flair. Their segments light up to indicate the amount of charge when charging the vehicle.
And… Sold!
Though the fully loaded Edition 1 Hummer EV starts at an eye-watering $112,595, subsequent trims won’t come down drastically in price. Slated as for a 2022 release, the Hummer EV 3X reduces the horsepower to 800 and the price tag to $99,995. 2023 will see, the 2X for $89,995 and EV 2 for $79,995, both will come with just two motors and 625hp. But, given all the Hummer EV is capable of, those prices aren’t unexpected or unwarranted.
Deliveries on the new GMC Hummer EV are expected in the fall of 2021.
