Mention the Hummer to any car nut, and it will immediately conjure images of an oversized gas guzzler with the aerodynamics of a brick and the off-road capability of a polio-stricken mountain goat. American carmaker GMC is about to turn that reputation upside down with the Hummer EV for the 2022 model year.
This isn't your boomer dad's Hummer anymore
Presented as an early prototype in pickup truck form, the Hummer EV will be initially available in the Edition 1 trim package. It features the same blocky aesthetic of Hummer for sale both present and past, with massive 8-lug wheels mounted on standard 35-inch Goodyear All-Terrain rubbers.
The vehicle can accommodate up to 37-inch wheels inside the arches, and the speedometer can compensate for the different tire sizes - a feature fans of aftermarket wheels can only dream about.
The Hummer EV sports a rigid body that allows the roof to come out in four sections for open-air driving, and the panels can be stored in the front trunk. Out back, the cargo bed features GMC’s trademark six-position tailgate.
The six-position tailgate could give the Ford F-150 a run for its money
The interior is conspicuously decked out in a lunar theme, featuring the iconic moon boot footprint on the driver’s side footrest, and a map of the moon’s Sea of Tranquility on the speaker panel. A 12.3-inch driver information display assumes the role of the instrument panel behind the chunky leather-clad steering wheel, while a 13.4-inch infotainment screen resting above textured physical switches handles communications, infotainment, and navigation.
There's a futuristic-looking cockpit inside the blocky exterior
Powering the Hummer EV is its e4WD system, at the heart of which is GMC’s largest permanent-magnet AC motor, rated at 250 kW. Three of these are found on the vehicle’s powertrain, one in front and the other two mated to each of the rear wheels. Total system output is 750 kW, drawing energy from a large 200 kWh Ultium battery pack made in partnership with LG Chem.
At 10 minutes of charging from empty, the Hummer EV can already manage 100 miles of range, while a full charge delivers over 563 km in preliminary testing. The LED headlamps and tail lamps even act as charging indicators.
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The massive battery lies under the Hummer EV's floor
The Hummer EV has nearly 1,000 hp on tap, despite its size. It can manage a 0-100 km/h sprint in just 3 seconds with a special Watts To Freedom mode, which is essentially a fancy name for its launch control feature. One-pedal driving can also be enabled, configuring the onboard energy regeneration settings to let the driver avoid touching the brake pedal at all, except when sudden braking is needed.
Off-road capability is another thing that the Hummer EV improves on, with a default 10.1-inch (256mm) of ground clearance from the four-wheel air suspension. Extract Mode raises this to 15.9 inches for getting out of tight situations on the trail, and it can also be lowered to 8.1 inches (205mm) for cruising as well as ingress and egress.
The Hummer EV can go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3 seconds
The e4WD motors can be locked in sync to simulate differential locking as well as torque vectoring, and the Hummer EV also features a Crab Mode, where the front and rear wheels can steer in the same direction, allowing the vehicle to move diagonally. Up to 18 camera views allow unrestricted monitoring all around the vehicle, including two underbody cameras acting as off-road spotters equipped with sprayers to keep the lens clean.
Differential locking can be simulated for a range of off-road driving conditions
GMC will begin manufacturing the Hummer EV in late 2021 at its Factory Zero facility in Michigan, with the mass production version slated for a 2022 rollout. Is the Hummer EV something you’d like to see hitting the road or the trails here in the Philippines?
More automotive sneak peeks are in store for you at Philkotse.com.