After ages of teasing, the first ever full electric vehicle from the America's GMC is here. And it is the GMC Hummer EV, fully electric and fully loaded! GMC is calling it an electric supertruck and the company is definitely not wrong there! The Hummer EV promises to have the same legendary off-road abilities that the old models had and the good news is that driving around one will not require you to take a bank loan and fill up fuel.
Also Read: GMC Hummer EV To Get A Crab Mode
(The GMC Hummer EV has a claimed range of 560+ km and it is propelled by three electric motors and a 24-module double-stacked battery pack)
GMC says that the Hummer EV is driven by the company's next generation Ultium propulsion technology and the Ultium batteries. The Hummer EV gets three electric motors which make a total of 1,000 bhp and close to 16,000 Nm of torque (on the wheel) and about 1,900 Nm of motor torque. The former torque figure (16,000 Nm) is sort of misleading. It is the number you arrive at when you multiply the motor torque with the gear ratios. Nonetheless, the Hummer EV throws some impressive numbers at you. Thanks to the 24 module double-stacked Ultium battery pack, GMC says that the Hummer EV has range of over 560 km on a single charge. The batteries have the technology to change its circuitry from parallel to series while charging, which makes it compatible with 350 kW fast-charging machines that give close to 160 km of range in just 10 minutes of charging. Plus, the Hummer EV gets a special 'Watts-To-Freedom' program which unleashes the full power on tap and allows the electric SVU to do the 0-100 kmph sprint in a shade over 3 seconds, which is proper sportscar territory.
(The Hummer EV is said to be as capable an off-road SUV as its gas-guzzling predecessors)
The Hummer EV gets five drive modes, out of which four are pre-configured and one can be configured by the driver. The modes are normal, off-road, terrain, tow/haul and 'My' mode. In the terrain mode, the ground clearance can be increased by up to two inches for a maximum of 302 mm of ground clearance. GMC will also offer an 'Extract mode', which will allow the driver to raise the suspension by a massive 404 mm. The electric SUV has a standard water fording depth of 660 mm, which can increased to 711 mm in terrain mode and 813 mm in extract mode. The adaptive air suspension allows a travel of 330 mm up front and at the rear as well.
(There are five driving modes on offer - Normal, Off-road, Terrain, Tow/Haul and 'My' mode)
The Hummer EV also gets 4-wheel steer wherein the rear wheels can be locked in the forward position, to turn opposite of the front wheels or turn in the same direction as the front wheels. The driver can choose from three settings for this as well - off, auto and crab walk. In the last mode, the rear wheels can be turned at the same angle as the front wheels (up to 10 degrees) which allow diagonal movement of the vehicle, like how a crab moves.
(The GMC Hummer EV comes loaded with technology and the cabin is made of premium materials )
The Hummer EV gets premium interior with a large 13.4-inch infotainment touchscreen along with a 12.3-inch driver information display. The transparent roof panels can be removed and stored in the 'frunk' and the rear tailgate can be configured in six different positions.
(The Hummer EV retains the design cues of the old models, but there are futuristic elements on the SUV, which make it contemporary)
In terms of design, the Hummer EV retains the silhouette of the old model and we definitely love that. The design may seem a tad overdone, but it does have a futuristic edge to it. The SUV sits on 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 35-inch OD Goodyear Wrangler Territory tyres which look off-the-charts good. The Hummer EV can be shod with 37-inch tyres as well.
(There will be four variants of the Hummer EV to choose from, with each model offering a different set of features and specifications)
There will be four variants to choose from, 2022 onwards. These are the Edition One which will be priced at $112,595, Hummer EV3X which will be priced at $99,995, the Hummer EV2X at $89,995 and lastly, the Hummer EV2, which will be priced at $79,995. The last two models will be available in 2023 and 2024 respectively. The SUV will be manufactured at GMC's Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Centre, which has been re-tooled at a cost of $ 2.2 billion for the sole purpose of manufacturing electric vehicles. The initial production will begin towards the end of 2021 and the first orders will be delivered in early 2022.
