General Motors debuts all-electric 2022 Hummer EV, and it’s a beast

American auto mainstay General Motors is bringing back the Hummer “super truck”, but this time in all-electric, zero emissions form – and reservations are already open.

In an online event that sought to tingle spines with the soul-rending chords of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song, the Hummer EV was introduced to its audience with a tempo designed to grab the attention of even the EV-averse, and the weekend and off-road electric skeptics.

For a princely sum of $US112,595 ($A159,358 converted), US customers can now place an order for Hummer electric pickup (known as a ute in Australia) – if they are willing to shell out for the top-of-the-range “Edition 1”.

This will be available late 2021, and followed annually by three more trims in descending order from late 2022 through to late 2024, from the Hummer EV^3X for $US99,995 ($A141,525 converted), to a mid-range Hummer EV^2X for $US89,995 ($A127,372 converted), down to the “entry level” Hummer EV² for $US79,995 ($A113,219 converted).

For those prices, one would hope you get what you pay for. And GM is was intent on convincing the cashed-up crowd that fell for the original Hummer that an all-electric version is not just an alternative, but a superior option.

First there is the ” best-in-class” 1,000 horsepower (746kW) from the Edition 1’s three motors, plus a phenomenal  15,591Nm torque. GM doesn’t say what size the battery is (although we do know it is an Ultium) but estimates the Edition 1 will get more than 350 miles (563km) driving range, a reasonable figure for a vehicle of this size.

The Hummer EV edition one will also come with an industry-topping 800 volt electric architecture that will allow it to achieve charging rates of 350kW – so far the only vehicle technically capable of this is the Porsche Taycan (although it is software limited to 270kW).

Of course this top charge rate, which adds around 400km driving range for every 15 minutes charging, would only be achievable at DC fast chargers such as those made by Australia’s Tritium or Swedish-Swiss conglomerate ABB.

Despite the extremely generous dimensions of the Hummer EV, GM says it will still be capable of accelerating to 60 miles per hour (97km/hr) in about 3 seconds thanks to its “Watts to Freedom” feature that would be the equivalent of Tesla’s Ludicrous Mode.

GM has also seen fit to include a range of driver assist technologies including its “Super Cruise” which apparently allows for hands-off driving on 322,000km of “enabled roads”, as well as automatic lane changing, and continuous damping active ride control.

But this is not a vehicle designed to merely traverse highways and sleepy urban roundabouts, with GM emphasising off-road capabilities that were previously the stuff of dreams.

“The GMC Hummer EV is revolutionary, defying what the industry thinks of as a pickup truck,” said Duncan Aldred, VP of Global Buick and GMC in a statement.

“The Edition 1’s tailored off-road content will make Hummer EV’s unprecedented capability and zero-emissions a very special proposition for customers.”

Able to ride on 37 inch tyres (the “extreme off-road package” comes with trifling 35 inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tyres), the Hummer EV has several modes designed to allow it to not only go off-road, but over rocks, through crevasses and drive somewhat sideways like a crab.

Extract mode lifts its body six inches up in the air to allow it to drive over large obstacles, something GM says is a “revolutionary break out capability” (see the video below for a demonstration of this).

Underbody armour, “rock sliders”, and 18 cameras including underneath the vehicle ensure any mistakes are not disastrous, while the Hummer EV’s “crab mode” with four wheel steering allows the vehicle to drive diagonally to navigate difficult passes.

Not yet convinced? Making sure outdoor adventures are experienced from even within the vehicle, GM have added removable “sky panels” that can be stowed benath the front bonnet (where the original Hummer’s engine would have been), while the rear glass and tonneau cover can be opened and closed with power controls.

The additonal trims will include features in increasing order from the Hummer EV² to the Hummer EV^3X as follows:

Production of the Hummer EV range will be from GM’s Detroit-Hammrock factory which has been retooled in a $US2.2 billion ($A3.11 billion) project to devote the 40-year-old factory entirely to electric vehicle production.

GM says that some of its specifications have been based on computer-aided estimates and that actual production models may vary.

Bridie Schmidt

Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.