Heavyweight car maker General Motors has resurrected its Hummer sub-brand after 11 years on the sidelines to take on electric vehicle pioneers Rivian and Tesla with the launch of its own fully electric super truck.
Tesla’s oddball Cybertruck was launched with great fanfare in 2019 with deliveries due to begin next year, while Rivian attracted a $700 million investment from Amazon and a further $500 million from Ford to develop a full-sized, electric, dual-cab pick-up and SUV that are due to go on sale this June.
GM is joining the party with GMC sub-brand Hummer becoming an exclusive EV nameplate for a range of models that will start with an all-new 830 horsepower pick-up followed by an SUV due here in 2024.
Electric off-roader
Duncan Aldred, global vice president of Buick and GMC, says the light truck / SUV market continues to boom and it was only natural to add an EV option to the sector.
“Our first quarter 2021 sales showed a 25 per cent growth with about a third of those selling at a price point above any Mercedes or BMW thanks to our premium GMC brand Denali. So we have every confidence of introducing another sub-brand like Hummer to the market,” he says.
Ditching a conventional drivetrain for an electric platform allows designers and engineers to redefine the capabilities of an off-roader and introduce a range of innovations such as CrabWalk, which allows each wheel to steer independently to drive the car diagonally out of tight spots.
Four-wheel steering also gives the Hummer a tiny turning circle of just 10.8 metres, which is roughly the same as GM’s Bolt microcar. With no low-hanging diffs or sumps to scrape, it has extraordinary climbing abilities of 60 per cent grades in forward or reverse, scaling 460-millimetre verticals and fording water more than half a metre deep with 330mm of suspension travel. It can also divert power to a single wheel, keeping the vehicle moving in the toughest conditions.
A boon for remote camping away from powered sites is its 19.2 kilowatt AC power station that can be used as a back-up generator to run a range of devices such as outdoor lighting, water pumps for showers and washing, microwave ovens and air compressors at 120v/25A/3kW, or to jump-charge another electric vehicle at 240v/25A/6kW.
Battery pack
Power comes from a 20-module, double-stacked Ultium battery in the floor made from pouch cells that can be stacked vertically or horizontally, allowing it to be stored in a relatively small space, delivering up to 830hp and 15,591Nm of torque.
GM says it’s capable of getting to 100 kilometres per hour in a supercar-like 3.5 seconds, while returning up to 480km of range on the tarmac.
According to chief engineer Al Oppenheiser, the batteries in the floor have given the Hummer enough rigidity to remove the roof, so a full-length removable infinity roof is standard on the SUV and the pick-up.
“The Hummer’s body protects the battery, while the battery supports the structure, making the battery pack itself a structural element. This rigidity of the floor helps reduce twisting and deformation while providing the stiffness needed to enable a truly open-air experience.”
Out-of-the-world interior
The interior gets an intergalactic theme with the Moon's surface used as inspiration for the graphics on the large 13.4-inch infotainment screen and 12.3-inch driver information stack. Aside from the usual vital signs, the console also updates the driver on energy use, sets up charging schedules and monitors the battery temperature conditioning.
Owners can use their smartphone to enable a number of operations such as approach lighting, unlocking and vehicle operation. Off-road driving has also been simplified with a one-pedal function that uses the regenerative properties of the electric motors to slow the vehicle to a complete stop as the driver lifts off the accelerator. With this, the brake pedal is not needed as Terrain Mode integrates the brake system to give the driver control for slow-speed off-roading such as rock crawling.
Made for the Middle East
Kelly MacDonald, chief marketing officer for General Motors Africa and Middle East, says that while it’s too early to predict local prices, the Hummer EV is coming to the Middle East.
"We are excited and cannot wait to see it on the roads in the Middle East because this is a market that has a strong emotional connection to both GMC and Hummer. Today's reveal further asserts our commitment to bringing world-class trucks and SUVs to the region while also pushing forward our future mobility agenda."
As a guide, prices in the US range from $79,995 to $99,995, with the limited launch release of Edition 1 already sold out in America $105,595.
The new Hummer EV is still three years away from landing in the Middle East so may have competition from the other EV start-ups by then, but it's the first commitment from an established car maker to electrification away from the comfort of an urban environment.
