► Hummer goes all-electric
► GMC claims 1000bhp and AWD
► Plus, off-road tech explained
GMC has pulled the wraps off its 2024 Hummer EV SUV (wagon), which will join the Hummer EV pick-up on sale in the USA in 2023.
While the wagon shares the same electric drivetrain and off-road kit as the pick-up, it does get some impressive off-road specifications and tricks – including four-wheel steering – thanks to its shorter wheelbase, particularly when equipped with the Extreme Off-Road pack.
While four-wheel steering is nothing new to production cars, the Hummer EV’s system not only turns the front and rear wheels in opposite directions to decrease the turning circle and hence manoeuvrability on tight tracks, but it can also steer them in the same direction to allow the vehicle to ‘crab’ its way sideways. Hummer first showed this feature, which it calls Crab-Walk, on the EV pick-up last year.
The shorter wheelbase and overall length of the wagon will make it easier to manoeuvre when compared to the longer pick-up truck.
Both Hummer EVs boast impressive off-road credentials, with off-road packages offering 35-inch all-terrain tyres on 18-inch wheels over the standard 22-inch road rubber, height-adjustable suspension, an Extract Mode for getting un-bogged, and around-vehicle cameras including underbody cameras so that the driver can always see the terrain.
There is an eLocker for the front axle, and the rear axle features independent motors which can individually send their drive to a single wheel with the most traction.
Both variants of the GMC EV Hummer are powered by a three-motor system that can deliver up to 619kW. Exclusive to the Hummer SUV is a power station generator that allows the operator to use the Hummer’s battery pack to run power tools when on site, but we expect this feature to also become available on the pick-up when production versions arrive.
The Hummer EV Pick-Up is due to go on sale in the US later this year, although the first-year production run is sold out and it will be 2022 before Americans can get one.
The SUV will hit GMC showrooms in 2023, although some models won’t make it to market until 2024. They will be built at GM’s refurbished Plant Zero alongside the Chevrolet Silverado EV and other EVs from GM.
The pick-up
The Hummer name returns for 2020. GMC, one of General Motors’ SUV brands in North America has resurrected the Hummer brand and will use it for an all-new electric SUV.
Since then, details on the launch vehicle (called Edition 1) which is being billed as ‘a first-of-its kind supertruck’ offering massive off- and on-road performance with zero tailpipe emissions.
How powerful will it be?
Using a combination of batteries and three electric motors from GM’s new ‘Ultium’ range the Edition 1 promises 1000 horsepower and an estimated 11,500lb ft of torque.
That’s good for a 0-60mph time of around three seconds, apparently, while fast 800v charging means 100 miles or range can be squeezed into the batteries in ten minutes.
A full charge should enable 350 miles of driving although you can expect that to drop if you make full use of the capable 4WD system, which the Hummer’s chief engineer states will make this car the most capably factory truck ever. A bold claim.
What chassis tech are we looking at?
The basics include adaptive air suspension with something called Extract Mode, which pushes the bodywork up an additional six inches to help clear boulders or deep water.
This is all governed by a set of drive modes that alter things like the torque splits and four-wheel steering for different terrains.
The Hummer comes equipped with 35-inch Goodyear off-road tyres but there’s space for a 37-inch version, and steel underbody protection deflects damage away from the battery pack.
Where it gets really clever though are with features like sophisticated four wheel steer with CrabWalk, where the front and rear tyres can be pointed at the same angle for diagonal movement.
Finally UltraVision underbody cameras front and rear will help drivers get around obstacles that may not be normally visible from behind the wheel.
What’s a Hummer?
In case you don’t know, the term Hummer evolved from the Humvee military transport, with the company that built them wanted to make civilian versions.
During the 90s and early 2000s, Hummer sold the H1 – effectively a lightly modified Humvee – plus a blingy H2 and smaller H3, until the brand effectively died towards the end of the 2000s.
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